


Broken

by Starfire_Wildheart



Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: AU, Angst, Attempted Sexual Assault, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Luke Garroway / Daryl Dixon father-son relationship, M/M, Mortal Instruments / Walking Dead Mashup, Nephilim Daryl, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, Spanking, Vampire Rick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 09:00:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10613610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starfire_Wildheart/pseuds/Starfire_Wildheart
Summary: (This is a story based on the Mortal Instruments Series of Books. I LOVED the story so much that I had to do a version of it with The Walking Dead Characters. Also one of my favorite charters of the series was Luke and I wanted nothing more than for he and Jase to have a father/son relationship in that series! So needless to say Luke is still in this fic.) Shadowhunters, Werewolves, Vampires, Angles, Demons and Humans live together in the world. To keep the peace the angle Raziel made a race of Nephilim, Shadowhunters that would protect the human race from unseen dangers. Daryl Dixon was one of those hunters and he was being punished for something he had no control over; simply being born. Alone, injured, broken, hopeless and afraid he tried to hold his head high and let the world take him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the wonderful Annie for being my Beta on this one!
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Preface

 

 

Everyone knows the world has an evil side, but very few know just how evil. Demons and Angles are real Vampires, Fairies, Wizards, Shifters, Werewolves and more walk the earth and mundanes they had no idea. All they would see is a normal person next to them or walking past. Only Nephilim and other downworlders could see their true form, though a pureblood is a rare thing now, most of the bloodlines had become tainted over centuries of mating outside their species, mostly with humans. The purebloods had started calling the half-bloods, ‘down worlders’. The Angel Raziel had made an army of Nephilim, half angel, half human, risen from his own blood and scattered about the world to protect the humans, whom they called Mundanes, from the evil that threatened them every day as they went about blissfully unaware. They have the ability to use magic runes, burned into their bodies by an angel weapon called a stele, to help protect them and give them strength. Generations went by and as some of the Nephilim were killed then the Clave, Nephilim’s council of elders, would pray to the Angel and use the Mortal Cup he’d left for them to create new Nephilim.

 

There were Institutes scattered all over the world that would serve as bases for area Hunters. They were usually seen by the mundanes as nothing more than dilapidated buildings that had been condemned thanks to glamor runes that were strategically placed around the building.

 

The Mortal Cup was one of three Mortal Instruments gifted to the Nephilim by the angles so that they could do the job appointed to them. Of course, they were targets of anyone who ever had a beef with the Nephilim, who later became known as Shadow Hunters, and they had to hide them. None of them ever expected that the person who would manage to steal the cup would be one of their own.

 

 

Lori Fairchild, Lucian Greymark, and Negan Morgenstern were inseparable when they were younger. Lucian and Negan were parabatai - a pair of Nephilim who take an oath to fight side by side, willing to lay down their lives for one another without hesitation, bound as fighting partners for life. Parabatai are rare as the pair has to be chosen when they are under the age of eighteen. To have a Parabatai is considered a blessing of the angel Raziel upon the pair and they must vow and unbreakable oath before the Shadowhunter council.

 

Young and idealistic, Negan, Lucian, and Lori felt that the Shadowhunter laws needed to be updated and had begun the process of meeting with the Clave council to voice their ideas. Of course, as they were young, they didn’t feel like they were being taken seriously and got frustrated. Lucian and Lori were okay with continuing to work at getting the council to change its mind, but Negan, he was not content to go through the proper channels any longer.

 

Negan started a new group of Nephilim rebels that didn’t like the laws of the angel Raziel. Negan called their new group The Circle. The Circle wanted to purify the bloodline again and kill everyone that was not in the lineage of the angels. Only purebloods would survive. They conducted brutal experiments, killed without hesitation and did everything they could to ‘purify’ the world. Negan went to the extent of trying to perform an ancient ritual that would conjure all pure blood demons who’d been imprisoned to wipe out their own half-breed races. Once they had eliminated their own kind The Circle would then eliminate the purebloods and wiping them from existence.

 

Lucian and Lori had noticed the changes in Negan and approached him. They were told to join him or face the consequences. Lucian tried to get Lori to flee to safety as far away from Negan as she could get because he loved her. Lucian was heartbroken when she told him that she had secretly married Negan and was pregnant. When Negan found out that Lucian had tried to get Lori to leave, he decided to have his Parabatai killed.

 

Negan had gone for a walk in the woods with Lucian, who had no idea that Negan knew he’d talked to Lori when they came upon a pack of werewolves. Negan had made a deal with the clan to let them have the Nephilim and his blood, a truce he called it. They killed Lucian and when the Clave heard that the werewolves had broken the peace accords and killed a Nephilim they would declare a war. It didn’t work out quite as Negan had hoped, however. The werewolves didn’t kill Lucian they turned him. He was no longer one of the Nephilim but was now one of the cursed and was shunned by his people.

 

Several months later Lori gave birth to a baby boy, Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern. Less than a year later she was pregnant again. She was gone, running errands one day and returned home to find the house burned to the ground and told that her son had died in the fire. She had her suspicions that Negan had set the fire because she had told him that she wanted him to stop his crusade against the Nephilim and his search for the mortal cup.

 

Lori found out that Negan had found the mortal cup, and when he fell asleep she took it and fled. She changed her last name to Frey and spent the rest of her life on the run with her daughter, Beth, never using magic again and making sure her daughter never knew about her past. Everything went well until Beth turned fifteen and started having dreams about Shadowhunters. When she saw Beth scribbling the rune for Shadowhunters on a notebook Lori decided it was time to pack up and move.

 

Beth was devastated and she snuck out with her best friend Rick Grimes just to get away from her mom. Rick had been in love with Beth since they were thirteen, but she never seemed to notice, no matter how hard he tried. They went to a club that night and their lives changed forever. Beth saw something no one else could see. She saw three people killing another man, only he wasn’t a man, his features were anything but human.

 

Daryl Dixon swung his serif blade and lopped off the demon's head as his parabatai Shane Lightwood, held it still. Maggie Lightwood checked to make sure no other demons were around when they all heard a girl scream. Daryl looked up and saw a mundane staring right at him. “Impossible,” he breathed. Mundanes couldn't see Shadowhunters.

 

In the following few weeks, Beth’s mom was kidnapped and held prisoner by Negan’s people. Beth found out about her mom’s life as a Shadowhunter and that she was a Shadowhunter as well. She and Daryl had gotten very close through the ordeal and were starting to fall in love. They found the mortal cup and were able to get it to safety, but not before their world was turned upside down.

 

Negan, hoping to get the Mortal Cup from the Shadowhunters revealed some secrets to Daryl and Beth. He told Beth that he was her father and showed her photos of Lori and himself when they were younger as well as when Lori was pregnant. Beth would later find out from her mother that it was true. She was Negan’s daughter.

 

Daryl was also told that Negan was his father. He argued with Negan because it was something so out of the blue. Daryl saw Negan kill his father when he was still a child, other than that no one ever said anything about Negan Morgenstern other than what an evil bastard he was. Will Dixon, the man who raised Daryl that the Shadowhunter thought was his father, was a sadistic bastard, to say the least. He tortured Daryl physically, mentally, emotionally and even allowed his close friend Negan to get in on the torture. When Daryl and Negan were fighting over the Mortal Cup he told Daryl that when he was a child, he gave Daryl, then called Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, to Will Dixon to keep safe, then he burned down their home so Lori would think their son had perished. That meant that Beth and Daryl were siblings.

 

They were able to defeat Negan even through their devastation, but only after he’d unleashed an army of demons on the world. When they were trying to rescue Beth’s mom things went wrong again and Rick managed to get bit and turned by a vampire trying to protect Beth. While Daryl didn’t like to boy at all, mostly because of Rick’s hatred for him over Beth, Daryl still didn’t want to see the boy get hurt. In the end, they had hoped their lives would somehow go back to normal.

 

 

It didn’t.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 1

 

 

Daryl was numb from more than cold as he walked the deserted sidewalks in New York. It was nearly three am and he was in a dangerous part of town. His mind continued to replay the last weeks in his head, everything that had happened, both good and bad. A smile came to his face when he thought of Beth, how they had met and became close so quickly. She’d even admitted to falling in love with him.

 

Daryl never believed in love, had never experienced it in any form. Then to find out that all this time, the man who’d been so hard on him, who he thought was his father turned out to all be a lie. He, in fact, was the son of one of the most hated and evil Nephilim to ever exist, Negan Morgenstern. A shiver ran up his spine as he thought of his father and how he’d learned that his true name was Jonathan Morgenstern, not Daryl Dixon. He thought about how learning his real identity had destroyed the one person he cared about most of all because she was Negan Morgenstern's daughter, Beth Frey, which made Daryl her brother. It would have been easier if Beth had hated him for it but she didn't, she still professed her undying love for him. Oh but be sure that Daryl hated himself enough for both of them. To know that the girl still loved him broke his heart. The only person to ever say that “word” to him was still in love with him and they couldn’t be together. Everyone he knew was mad at him because of the news and to know that she wasn't angry with him for what he'd done, being Negan’s son, was worse than any beating he'd ever taken. The fact that he was Negan Morgenstern's son was unforgivable. It didn’t matter to him that Beth was Negan’s daughter, she was never raised in the hunter life so she had no idea who he was. All Daryl’s life, however, he’d had it beaten into him that anything that had to do with Negan was evil and bad so as far as Daryl was concerned, this was all his own fault. He should have somehow figured it out.

 

He'd been so caught up in himself and Beth, the war with Negan, being imprisoned by the silent brothers and the Inquisitor's treatment of him for being a ‘Morgenstern’ that he had been totally blindsided when Andrea threw him out of their home. The Lightwood’s had taken custody of Daryl after his father, or who he had thought was his father, had died when he was a child. Edwin and Andrea and their children Shane, Maggie, and Sophia had been his family for many years now.

 

He thought back to that day in the Institute:

 

"You're Negan's son Jonathan,” she spat his ‘true name’ like it made her ill. “You're nothing but a spy sent among us to report back to him! How could you? We gave you a home and showed you love when no one else would," Andrea yelled.

 

"I'm not a spy! I'm not a Morgenstern, please Andrea you have to believe me. I have always been Daryl Dixon. I would never hurt you. You are my only family," Daryl said softly.

 

"You're just like him," she growled. "Get out Jonathan Morgenstern and keep away from my children! I will be sending someone from the Clave to take you to Idris for a proper punishment, now go!" she pointed to the door.

 

What was left of Daryl’s heart shattered knowing that the only family he'd ever had didn't believe him. Turning to the door Daryl saw Shane standing frozen, staring. "I'm sorry, Shane. Please believe that..." before he could finish a hard slap snapped his head to the right leaving a burning sting and ache across his jaw.

 

"Get out Daryl!" Shane growled. "I can't believe you! How could you do this to us?" Shane yelled before storming over to embrace his mother.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

So here he was, walking aimlessly through the cold streets injured, broken and homeless knowing it was all his fault because he was Negan's son. He wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and let the blackness take him forever but Nephilim could not take their own lives as it belonged to the angel; downworlders, however, could kill him with no consequences. With a scary, confident smile Daryl set off to find someone to punish him.

 

Two weeks had passed and Daryl had found plenty of people who wanted to dish out some pain, although his first choice had turned out to be a huge mistake. How was he supposed to know the Werewolf pack he started a fight with was Luke's of all peoples.

 

Lucian Greymark was Beth’s “sort of” stepfather. Luke had been a part of Beth’s life since she was a baby. Daryl and Beth had only recently discovered that Luke was a werewolf. So out of respect for Luke and Beth, he stood stoic and took the long lecture about how he was reckless and thoughtless and how he was out of his mind. Hell, he even felt a little stirring of humanity when Luke took him aside and asked him if he was ok after what had happened with the Lightwoods. Daryl’s charm came out full force and he was able to convince the Lycan everything was ok and managed to sneak out while Luke dealt with his restless pack.

 

Since then he'd taken on demons of countless types leftover from Negan's, his father's, summoning and his last fight with a warlock had earned him a nice curse so that none of his Ruins would help him. That's right, Daryl ‘Dixon’ Morgenstern didn't even have the blessing given to all Shadowhunters anymore.

                               

Blood dripped down his face and arms, his side stung, his ribs and knee hurt so badly he could barely stand or breathe but he still held his fighting stance. Glancing around the room he was surrounded by over a hundred vampires all snarling and hissing at the scent of his blood. This is it, he thought to himself, this is how Daryl Morgenstern ends. I wonder if my bones will end up in the city with the other Shadowhunters. Who was he kidding, no one would even realize he'd been killed.

 

"Come on bloodsuckers, is that all you have?" he taunted. "I know I'm the best Shadowhunter this city has ever seen but there are a hundred of you," a cocky grin curled Daryl’s lips as he swung the seraph blade in a gleaming arch beheading two of the vampires before they overtook him. Pain, fire, and fear were the last things he remembered as he was beaten and torn at. Daryl thought he heard a roaring growl rip through the air as his eyes slid shut.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

               

Lucian Greymark was a living contradiction of terms. He was a very docile, bookstore owner who lived a quiet life. He had been in love with Lori Frey for more than a decade but that love was one sided as she did not feel the same about him. Luke finally realized that a few months ago when Negan Morgenstern started the ‘war’ of Nephilim and Downworlders. What made Luke so unique was that he was really a bit of both, Nephilim and Downworlder.

 

As a young man, Luke had been chosen by the Angel to be a Nephilim. That was how Luke met Lori and Negan, also Nephilim, and they became inseparable. It was also one of the worst times in his life. He went from being a child of the angels to being half human and half demon. He was shunned by all Nephilim after that and he became one of the hunted.

   

Luke shook himself from his thoughts and looked around at his pack. They had all gathered to take care of a problem. "You know what we have to do,” Luke said to the group. “It brings me no pleasure to have to handle it in this manner but we cannot allow these attacks to continue." A hushed murmur ran through the group and someone said it was the Nephilim's job to take care of this stuff, another huffed that it was their job to protect their own. "Enough," Luke growled. "The institute has been," he searched for the right words, "busy since Negan's attack. We will pick up the slack where we need to."

 

They had heard rumors of a particular vampire clan attacking wolflings for a few weeks now but it had hit their own family pack five days ago. The youngest member of their pack had been cornered and tortured by this rogue group which seemed to be leaderless and felt like no rules applied to them. Luke and Abe, his current second in command, had tried to get a meeting with their clan leader but through much investigation and some help from their newest vampire friend Rick, his daughter Beth's best friend, they found out this clan didn’t have one. At Luke’s nod, the entire pack shifted into their wolf forms and smashed through the windows and doors of the abandoned building just as the vampires descended on someone. Poor bastard, Luke thought to himself as he watched the brutal attack.

 

The vampires were scattered and unorganized with no leader so the pack made quick work of the hundred or so of them, killing several and hopefully frightening the ones who fled into leaving town to be someone else's problem. Sensing that all of his pack was alive and only a few injured everyone began to shift back to human form. He looked around to see where his help was most needed when Abe shouted "Luke!"

 

"What is it?" he asked as he ran to his second, cringing as he saw the battered body on the ground. Luke knelt down to check for a pulse. When the man’s head turned to reveal his face Luke gasped, "Daryl!" Carefully he turned the boy over onto his back and he had to fight his rage to not let his wolf loose again.

 

The angelic boy's face was swollen, eyes black, nose was broken, blood covering most all of his pale skin. "Send for Glenn Bane tell him that Daryl is badly injured and is dying," he told one of his pack members. "Abe, bring my truck around to the door," he tossed him the keys.

 

"Daryl," Luke said softly, "it's ok, you're safe now. I've got you." Carefully as he could he lifted the broken boy into his arms. Daryl was limp and lifeless sending chills up Luke's spine. The pack stood silently watching as he carried the boy out of the building and loaded him into his truck. Abe rushed them to Luke's house glancing over to his right and watching as his friend cradled the kid and murmured over and over that he was safe now, he would take care of him. He'd never seen Luke this upset even when Lori had gone missing.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Glenn rubbed his hands over his face letting out a dramatic sigh. The wizard had been irritated when a Werewolf showed up at his door demanding he come to help Daryl Dixon. Glenn considered turning the werewolf into a cat just out of spite but he decided he would go just to tell Luke face to face that he wasn't his damned errand boy and to stop calling on him without sending cash first. That had been six long hours ago. When Glenn saw Daryl he knew it would be one of the hardest medical sessions he'd ever done.

 

The demon bites and venom alone should have killed Daryl because there was no sign that the Nephilim had used a healing ruin to try and stop the damage. There was also a powerful magic Glenn could feel on him. A curse, of course, nothing simple ever happened to these people. He worked trying to break the spell so they could start administering some sort of aid. Glenn looked over at Luke who was still trying to clean wounds and get some of the muck and mire off the boy. "Can't we just find an empty swimming pool and throw him in or take him to a car wash," the wizard suggested. "I've never seen anyone this damn dirty and disgusting." Luke growled and bared his canine's at the wizard. Glenn quickly threw up his hands, "Ok, ok calm down," he sighed and went to get some clean water.

 

Luke was picking some broken glass out of a nasty demon bite that was swollen and discolored when he heard the boy moan. "Daryl?” he brushed his hair back, "Can you hear me? You're going to be ok. Can you tell me what happened?"

               

Daryl fought to open his eyes; his throat being raw and dry, caused him to cough jarring his body and he cried out. He felt Luke's hand on his chest trying to stop his body from moving. "Why?" he rasped and was hit with another coughing fit.

 

"Tara, bring me some water," he yelled as he carefully lifted Daryl's upper body and positioned himself so that he was sitting behind the boy, cradling him. The strangled cry that came out of Daryl broke his heart. "Shhh, try to take a deep breath and calm down. Glenn is here, we are trying to get you patched up." He felt the lithe body in his arms tremble and shake like a frightened kitten as he tried to hold his ribs. "I know it hurts buddy but you have to fight for me. You hear me, Daryl? You have to fight."

 

Tara, a youngling from Luke’s pack, came bounding into the room with two bottles of water. "Here Luke," she started but then gasped and blushed. "I'm sorry I didn't realize, um," she stammered. Daryl lay on the bed completely nude and wet where they had been trying to clean him. She could see his body tremble as Luke cradled him and stroked his hair.

 

Luke looked up waiting for her to hand him the water. She was staring open mouthed at Daryl. "Tara!" he shouted to get her attention, "the water, please."

 

She blushed furiously, "Oh! Of course," she quickly handed him the bottles but didn't move away.

 

Luke opened one of the bottles and held it to Daryl's parched lips. "Drink, slowly now."

 

Never one to do as he was told Daryl drank in a big gulp of the water; the cold felt so good... until he choked. White hot pain shot through his broken ribs as he managed to sit up a bit and knock the bottle out of Luke's hand causing him to gasp even harder when the cold liquid came into contact with nothing but bare skin.

 

Luke knocked the bottle to the floor as Tara rushed to hand him a towel. "Damn it, kid, I said slowly!" he snapped but there was no anger in his tone, just concern.

 

"Hey Luke, Beth is here and she wants to see Daryl," Rick said as he came into the room. "What the hell?" he yelled when he saw a very naked Daryl and Tara staring at him. "Come on! You really can't cover him up or something?" he whined. He disliked Daryl even more now after seeing how hot the boy was.

 

"Rick enough!" Luke yelled. He Felt Daryl's muscles tighten when Rick spoke. "Tell Beth she can see him when he's been treated and gets some rest. I will call her when it's ok."

 

Daryl had a sudden realization through all his pain and misery. He was completely naked in a room full of people. He wanted to curl into a ball and grab for something to cover himself but he couldn't move and even if he could have there is no way that he would let them know he was self-conscious. He heard Rick complaining it made him angry. He was hurt, dying and the mundane still had to be a dick to him. Forcing his eyes open all he could he looked up at Luke, "I know I'm beautiful to look at and all but this is kind of sudden. You might have to hold the mundane back I'm not sure I can fight him off right now." He felt Luke chuckle behind him and shake his head.

 

Rick started to protest but Glenn walked in past him, "Ok you can both ogle him when he's well; now go." They left quickly, Rick still muttering curses under his breath as he bounded down the steps. "Well look who decided to open his eyes. You want to tell us what the hell happened to you because it looks like you just let demons use you as a chew toy."

 

A shiver ran through him because that was pretty much what he'd done. "It didn't work," he whispered.

 

"What didn't work," Luke asked, rubbing his arm to try to calm him.

 

"My punishment. Have to pay," Daryl whispered.

 

"Pay for what?" Luke asked.

 

"Being a monster like my fath…" he choked on the word not wanting it to be true, hating himself for his own bloodline, "like him." Tears slipped down his face and he was too tired to even care. He was weak and everyone knew it now anyway.

 

Luke and Glenn both froze, looking at him. It was Luke who regained his composure first and spoke. "You are NOTHING like him Daryl Dixon, nothing! Beth told me some of the things he said to you and he is still just as big a bastard as he was back when we were your age."

 

"Lightwoods think I'm just like my fath…” he just couldn’t bring himself to say the word. “Like him. Said I was a spy and a liar before they threw me out; even Shane," his lip trembled.

               

"I'm sure that's not true. It has to be hard to hear all the stuff you’ve found out recently and knowing how his parents feel about Negan, Shane probably just doesn't know what to do. He needs to believe his parents wouldn't do the things they did without a good reason and he just hasn't figured it out yet," Glenn said as he went back to work cleaning wounds and treating them.

               

Daryl started to protest but Luke shook his head, "we will talk more when you're better. Right now you need to rest to heal."

 

"I don't want to rest," Daryl protested as his eyes slid closed.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Spanking of the punishment kind ahead! Done with love though!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Spanking of the punishment kind ahead! Done with love though!
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daryl was still in some pain from his injuries but with the week of forced rest and treatment from Luke and Glenn, he was almost as good as new physically. Luke had insisted the Shadowhunter stay with him. The Werewolf had taken a very strong role in Daryl’s life lately. Daryl was surprised but grateful that Luke had agreed that Beth could come over while he was at a pack meeting tonight. She had come to see him once during the week but they really didn't get to talk much with everything going on. Daryl knew she'd been really busy with Lori awake now from Negan’s curse and being really overprotective of her daughter since Beth knew the Shadowhunter secret now. If Daryl were, to be honest with himself, he was wondering why Lori hadn't been to see him after she woke, after all, she was his mother too right? The door opening shook him from his thoughts and he could feel the goofy grin spread across his face as the blond walked into the house.

 

Beth beamed as she bounced over to Daryl and enveloped him in a big hug. "How are you feeling?"

 

"Better now that you're here." He took her hand and pulled her to sit next to him on the sofa. "I've really missed you." He really had. Daryl wasn’t sure he was in ‘love’ with Beth but she was his best friend.

 

She blushed and looked down at her feet. It was so hard to not react to the kind of love she felt for Daryl but in her heart, she knew that if him being her brother was the only way she could keep him in her life she would suffer the pain of never touching again and she was positive he felt the same. They had a long talk after Negan went through the portal after he tried to take the Mortal Cup. It was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to accept but they both agreed that they had to be in each other’s lives no matter what. "You look great Daryl," she lifted the hem of his t-shirt to check the bruising on his ribs.

 

Daryl gasped and feigned an indignant look as he yanked his shirt back down. "Why Beth Frey how dare you!" She couldn't help but laugh as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you mean coming here and trying to take my clothes off?" He was fighting hard not to laugh. "If you wanted to see me without my shirt all you had to do was ask ya know."

 

Neither of them could hold their laughter back anymore and chortled until they were both breathless. Once they had calmed down a bit, "I spoke to Maggie today and she told me about the council that was going to convene at the institute for your," Beth paused not knowing what to call it. It wasn't so much a trial as it was too many Shadowhunters with too much power wanting to torture someone for who they were. "Meeting next week. Do you know what's going to happen?"

 

Daryl fought back a shiver and shrugged, "Not really. I know the new Inquisitor, the Shadow Brothers, the Council and several representatives will be there to ask me questions." He stood up and paced across the room, "I don't know why they are even going to bother, it's not like anyone is going to believe me anyway. They should just skip this meeting and put me straight in jail but no, they want to toy with me some more."

 

Beth walked up behind Daryl placing a soft kiss on his shoulder blade and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. "I believe you, Daryl, Luke believes you, Glenn believes you and so does mom. We won't let them put you in jail Daryl, ever."

 

He spun toward her, fear marring his features, "No, Beth promise me, no matter what happens that you won't get involved."

 

"That's not a promise I can make. I won't let them punish you for something you didn't do!"

 

"Please Beth, I can't, I won't make it through this if I'm worried about keeping you safe. I need to know that you will be ok," Daryl pleaded leaning closer to her.

 

Tears stung Beth’s eyes, it was the first time she'd heard him sound so small and meek. "I won't lose you, Daryl Dixon," she said as she tip toed and brushed her lips against his. She felt him go stone still but she didn't care. She pressed her body to his like she was drowning and he was the only life preserver in the world. If they were going to take Daryl from her she was going to have him first, Negan's ‘brother’ story be damned.

 

He tried to back away when he felt his body reacting to her closeness but he found himself pinned between her and the wall. He could have moved her away but the truth was he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. He would stop it before it went too far, besides right now he needed to feel like he belonged, to feel human and Beth was the only one who could do that. He heard her soft moan when she presses her hips against his thigh and he knew he had to stop this now. "Beth," came out more of a moan than he'd like to admit as he took her arms and gently pushed her back so there was some distance between them.

 

Tears slipped from her eyes when he pushed her away. "I don't care what Negan said Daryl, I know my heart and I know what I want; I want you."

 

 

Gently he stroked her face with his hand wiping away her tears. "I know Beth but I can't, not like this. It’s not fair to you, your mom, not to anyone." He was about to tell her how much he loved her when the front door slammed open. He groaned and rolled his eyes, "What do you want _mundane_?"

 

Lori had asked Rick to run into Luke's house and tell Beth they were there to pick her up. He happily agreed because he couldn't wait to get her away from Dixon. He walked in on them in a compromising position. "What the hell, Daryl? She's your sister and you're still trying to force her to be with you?" Why was it Beth was willing to commit incest but wouldn’t even give Rick a second look? It really pissed him off and he turned all that anger on Daryl. The Shadowhunter had just swooped in and stole Beth’s heart right out from under him. Rick took Beth by the wrist and tried to pull her behind him. "Look at her, you made her cry again! That's all she does is cry and worry over you!" He stomped up to Daryl and shoved him backward.

 

Daryl clinched his hands into fists at his side and ground his teeth trying not to do something he would regret, for Beth's sake. "Get out mundane! You have no idea what you’re talking about! I would never harm her, ever!"

 

"Rick!" Beth yelped at the same time, "Stop it! Daryl wasn't doing anything, I was!"

 

Rick's eyes went wild. Even knowing he was her brother couldn't stop her from loving him instead of Rick. He wouldn't let Beth make the mistake of choosing Daryl even if Rick knew he couldn't have her either.

 

Daryl felt the electricity in the air and he saw the look on Rick's face. "Don't!" was all he got out before the boy's fist struck him in the face. It took an angelic effort to not swing back. "I'm warning you _boy_ , leave this house now before you get hurt," Daryl snarled. Apparently, Rick wasn't in the mood to take his advice.

 

Knowing he'd never win a fist fight against Daryl, Rick picked up a rather large wooden statue that was setting on a nearby shelf and swung it at the Nephilim's head. The fight was not a pretty one and if Rick was forced to be honest, Daryl never tried to swing on him he just defended himself and blocked Rick’s kicks and punches. Still, when Rick saw blood on Daryl he couldn't help but smile to himself a bit. He must have said that out loud because Daryl's posture changed drastically and before he knew what happened he was flying through Luke's screen door landing painfully on his back on the porch.

 

Lori heard the commotion from her car and was running inside as Rick was sent flying through the door. Her first thought was Beth and defending her.

 

When Luke pulled into his drive he was surprised to see Lori's car still there. Maybe she had finally gotten her head out of her ass and decided to talk to her son? That thought was quickly shattered as he heard her yelling from inside the house and he suddenly had an arm full of sobbing Beth. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Luke saw Rick bloody and bruised on the porch and started toward him with Beth in tow. "What the hell happened here?"

 

Beth tried her best to explain it to him between sobs. He could hear Lori screaming at Daryl that if he ever touched her daughter again she would kill him like she should have done a long time ago. "Please, Luke stop her!" Beth begged. He kissed the top of her head and went inside.

 

Luke quickly surveyed the damage to his house. Broken lamps, pictures, books scattered everywhere, furniture overturned and a nice ‘Rick’ sized hole in his screen door. He approached Lori and Daryl just as she slapped Daryl across the face. She spun on her heel and screamed at Luke, "As long as this little bastard is here do not ever expect to see my daughter again! You will never learn, Luke! You trusted Negan and now you trust his son!"

 

"We all trusted Negan at one point, Lori,” Luke snapped, “and Daryl is your son too! Maybe if you hadn't left him with his bastard of a father then you would know what kind of person Daryl was!” Lori gasped and ran out the door yelling for Beth and Rick to get in the car.

 

Daryl sat on the floor with his knees pulled to his chest waiting for Luke to start screaming at him and throw him out. Instead, he felt a gentle hand on the back of his head. He looked up and saw Luke squatted down in front of him. Daryl was too disappointed in himself and what he'd caused to be able to look him in the eye. He knew how this part went. He’d messed up so he was going to be kicked out. "I'm sorry Luke. I'll get my stuff and go."

 

Luke shook his head and lifted Daryl's face so that boy was looking into his eyes. "No, you will not. I don't want you to go anywhere, Daryl except up to your room. Check yourself over for injuries and I will be up in a bit to take care of you."

 

"But," Daryl protested as he looked at the mess he and Rick had made. Luke's grip tightened on his chin.

 

"I said upstairs Daryl, now," he said firmly before pulling the boy to his feet and giving him a push in the direction of the stairs. Luke watched as Daryl complied then headed to secure the house before he headed up to check on him.

 

Luke knocked lightly on the bedroom door, "Daryl?" As he walked into the room he noticed the boy standing by the window, tense, and glance to his left. Luke followed his line of sight and laid out on the desk in a neat row was a short whip, a cane, a very thick belt, and a paddle. Luke’s skin crawled as he remembered where he'd seen those same implements laid out the same way; Negan. Back in the days of The Circle Negan used to torture his prisoners with these same devices. He felt Daryl's eyes on him as Luke walked to the bed and sat down. "Come here." Luke was a bit shocked that the Daryl complied so quickly. "Are you hurt?"

 

"No sir."

 

He nodded his head and patted the bed next to himself, "Sit." Again Daryl complied. "Anything you want to say?"

 

"I'm sorry about the house and the door. I will clean it and pay to have the door fixed." Daryl lowered his head so that his hair hid his face and spoke so softly Luke almost had to strain to hear him. "I wasn't trying to disrespect you, Luke. I didn't mean for it to happen. I, I just couldn't control myself."

 

"What started it?" Luke asked.

 

Daryl thought about throwing the sniveling vampire under the bus but at the end of the day, he knew it was his own fault. Daryl should never have let Beth touch him, never let her get that close. It was his own selfishness that caused it all. "I just lost control."

 

Luke nodded knowing there had to be much more to the story. Sure Daryl could fly off the handle with the best of them but Beth was too upset for it just to be a simple Rick / Daryl battle. "And Lori's outburst?" he prodded.

 

"She was just trying to protect her daughter from the monster," Daryl said squeezing his hands into fists. Luke stood and walked over to the desk, "Edwin Lightwood use these on you too?"

 

"N..no, not all of them just the belt." Feeling the need for full disclosure for some reason Daryl quickly added, "a lot."

 

 

Luke ran his hand over the belt for a moment before reaching for the whip and lifting it in the air. He saw Daryl move and was about to reach out to stop him from running when he saw that the boy had pressed his chest flat to the wall, hands above his head and hips pushed out. The most venerable, exposed position anyone could be put in when facing torture. Luke saw the tremors in Daryl’s muscles even though he knew he was trying his best to hide them. Reaching an arm around him and across his chest, Luke turned him so that they were face to face. "Daryl Dixon, you will NEVER bring one of these into this house again and if anyone ever tries to hit you with one and you don't tell me I will bare your bottom and belt you in front of the busiest mundane establishment I can find; repeatedly." Daryl's gulp was audible. "This and," he stepped over and got the cane, "these are not for discipline, they are for pain."

 

"Isn't that what discipline is?" he asked; confused.

 

"No, there is a difference. Discipline does involve pain but it also involves compassion, not pure brutality. Now go to the desk and bring me one of the other pieces that you feel I should use to punish you for the fight downstairs."

 

Daryl could feel Luke's eyes on him as he walked over to the desk. He didn't really understand the difference in punishment and the discipline but he did as he was told. After a moment of consideration, he picked up the thick belt and laid it in Luke's hand. His heart pounded against his chest when Luke reached for the button on Daryl’s jeans.

 

"Do you trust me, Daryl?"

 

"Yes."

 

Luke felt his heart beat faster when Daryl answered without a moment’s hesitation. He knew in his heart what Daryl needed right now. The boy needed to feel like he was loved, like he was a part of a family and Luke was more than happy to take on that roll. He would treat Daryl like his father treated him. "Take off your jeans and come here." Daryl complied folding the denim neatly and laying it over the back of a chair before going to where Luke had returned to the bed. Luke reached up and in one quick movement pulled Daryl down over his lap, bottom up in the air.

 

Daryl held his breath and blushed when he felt the material of his boxers being pulled down to his knees and Luke's broad hand on his back in an almost comforting gesture. "There may come a time when I use a belt on you Daryl or even a paddle but you will never be beaten again. Do you understand?" He saw the boy's head nod once and Luke accepted it knowing this was all new to Daryl.

 

Daryl nearly leaped to his feet when he felt the first hard smack to his upturned backside with Luke's bare hand. No one had ever punished him like this before, skin on skin, so personal it was almost painful and he couldn't believe the ‘physical’ pain one man's, well Lycan's, hand could rain down. It felt like his bottom was on fire already but it wasn't like the whip that felt as it ripped your skin to shreds. On about the twentieth swat, he was fighting not to squirm.

 

"Why are your being spanked, Daryl?"

 

He couldn't believe his ears! Luke really wanted him to answer right now? "For disrespect, fighting, breaking your stuff," he bit his lip to stop a whimper from escaping. "For being mean to Rick," he continued.

 

"What was my number one rule I gave you when you came to stay with me?"

 

"Don't," he sucked in a deep breath at a hard swat to his thigh "Don't lie."

 

"Why are you being spanked?"

 

Daryl racked his brain trying to remember what he lied about. He'd been honest with Luke since he'd known him, a bit disrespectful at times but always honest. "What did I lie about?"

 

Luke lifted the hand that was on Daryl's back and touched a deep gash in his side then some blood stained hair on his head before reaching down to a nasty bruise on the inside of his thigh that looked like someone had tried to kick him but he twisted just in time to block. "I asked you if you were hurt Daryl and you said no. Obviously, you do have injuries. I will not allow you to hide these things from me for your own good. I will start stripping you and checking you over myself before you go to bed every night if I have to."

 

Something broke inside of Daryl as he listened to Luke’s words. He wasn’t being punished for fighting or breaking Luke’s stuff. Daryl was being punished because he hadn’t told Luke he was hurt. Luke was worried about him, not material possessions. Luke cared about him, he realized as he fought to keep quiet. Tears were ok during punishment but if you made a noise it meant double licks with his father. He bit his lip until it bled but when he felt Luke tip him forward and start spanking where bottom met thigh and hearing the reason for his punishment he just seemed to shatter and sobbed openly clinching the sheet in his fists.

 

Luke was startled when he felt Daryl start to almost convulse with sobs. He didn't think this spanking was going to do what he had hoped because he hadn't heard a sound from the boy but now he was crying so hard he was gasping for air. "Shhh," Luke soothed and lifted and turned Daryl on his lap in one easy move allowing the red bottom to rest between his legs while he cradled Daryl to his chest kissing the top of his head. "Just let it go, Daryl, I've got you. It's ok."

 

Daryl didn't know how long he had been crying or when his punishment had stopped. No one ever held him like this, comforting and protective and the strong, independent side of him hated that he didn't want to fight the embrace. He wanted to stay in those safe, strong arms but he also didn't want Luke to think he was weak so he tried to get up.

 

"Where do you think you’re going?" Luke asked squeezing him tightly. "You are only allowed to move or get up when I say you can. Do you understand?" Luke’s voice was firm but compassionate.

 

Daryl nodded and clung to Luke like he was dying. He cried for Beth, for what his mother had said to him, for the way he'd been treated by his people, for what happened with the Lightwoods and for the fear he was feeling about the meeting coming up with the Clave. After a while, Luke laid him on the bed on his stomach. Daryl was ok with being let go but when Luke stepped away from him he started to panic and tried to get up and cling to him only to be pushed back down and given four quick swats to his already painful backside. "Owe!" he cried and buried his face in the pillow.

 

"Stay," Luke warned.

 

Daryl jumped when he felt Luke put a wet cloth on his back and begin to wash and clean his wounds. "Easy Daryl, I've got you," he soothed. Once Luke was satisfied that the cuts were not going to get infected he tossed the cloth to the floor. "Do you want to be alone now or would you like me to stay for a while?"

 

"D..don't g..go please," he hiccupped.

 

Luke smiled and reached over to turn the big light out before propping himself up against the headboard. He couldn't hide his smile when Daryl cuddled up next to him still trembling. Badass, tough as nails, better than anyone, Daryl Dixon just admitted in the only way he was capable of that he needed Luke and Luke knew without a doubt that he would now protect the boy with his life just as he did Beth.

 

Daryl felt Luke reach down and untangle his boxers from around his feet and toss them aside before pulling a sheet up to cover him. "YEOWCH!" Even the soft, light material of the sheet was torture on his bottom. He nearly purred when Luke stroked his hair and hugged him offering him something he'd never had before, comfort, safety, and love. "Luke?"

 

"Yeah kid?"

 

"Thank you," he said and buried his face into Luke's chest, embarrassed.

 

Those two words sent a shockwave through his body. He knew how hard it was for Daryl to say and for him to admit he needed comfort. Leaning down he placed a kiss on top of the head that was cuddled to his chest and held him tighter.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

Luke woke, stretched and wondered why he felt like his neck was breaking. Oh yeah, he had fallen asleep in Daryl's room. "Daryl?" he sat up quickly scanning the room but the boy was gone. "Damn it!" He ran downstairs prepared to hop in his truck and search until he found him.

 

Daryl looked up from his crouched position on the floor as Luke ran past him toward the door. "Is something wrong?" he hoped Beth was ok.

 

Luke skidded to a halt and quickly turned around and saw Daryl putting a book back in the bookcase. He let out a sigh of relief, "looking for you."

 

He grinned and stood up straightening his jeans, "Um, mission accomplished?"

 

Luke shook a finger at him, "Don't scare me like that Dixon." Before he could say anything else he noticed the room. Everything was sparkling and back in place aside from the broken lamps and the screen door. "Wow, I can't believe you did all of this. Did you get any sleep at all?"

 

"I don't sleep much really," he shrugged. "I was thinking that I could go to the store later and pick you out a couple more lamps. This place could use some," he paused searching for the right word and decided to go with, "you really suck at decorating," he laughed.

 

Luke laughed loudly and grabbed Daryl by the scruff of the neck pushing him toward the kitchen. "Hungry?"

 

"Not really but thanks," he instantly started fixing a pot of coffee as Luke got out eggs and bacon and started cooking. "Daryl we really need to talk about what happened yesterday."

 

Daryl had known this was going to happen but still didn't want to do it. "No we don't," he sighed and chewed on his thumb.

 

"Yes, we do. I want you to tell me what happened beginning with Beth stopping by."

 

Daryl plopped down on the wooden chair and instantly regretted it letting out a very unmanly squeak before giving Luke a glare. He got himself together and started, "We were just talking, honestly. She asked me if I knew anything about this stupid meeting that Andrea had called and things got.." he stopped and looked at his hands.

 

Luke walked over and sat two plates down before taking a seat. "Heated?"

 

His head snapped up. Could he tell Luke what was really on his mind without him getting upset? Beth was like Luke’s daughter for crying out loud. "I'm sorry Luke I know she's like your daughter but it’s just really hard right now. She, I,” he paused and tried to sort out his thoughts. “It’s complicated right now and just because Negan decided, to tell the truth for once in his life it’s made it even that much harder. I'm trying but it's," he was fighting to hold back his emotion.

 

 

 

"Hard?” Luke asked. “I know that it has to be agonizing to love someone and then find out that you can't be together. It's going to take time to heal especially since you can't just break away from each other. I just need to know that you are going to do your best to keep it as brother and sister, both of you."

 

Daryl was shocked that Luke was so calm about it and the boy didn’t have the heart to tell him he wasn’t even sure he was in love with Beth. "We are trying but sometimes we slip up, that's what happened when Rick walked in yesterday. Beth was crying and I was trying to comfort her when Idiot boy barged in and decided he wanted to be a jerk."

 

Luke smacked Daryl on the leg, "stop calling him names. I know you don't like each other but for Beth's sake you have to try to get along."

 

"He hit me! In the face, with a piece of wood! If it wasn't for Beth I would have hurt him. I think I showed magnificent restraint." He saw Luke sit up straighter and arch an eyebrow. "You know you can be quite intimidating when you want to be?" Daryl sighed.

 

Luke had to fight not to laugh. "Daryl I would like you to stay here with me but it's your choice. If you do choose to stay there will be rules to follow and consequences if the rules are broken. I know that is going to be hard for you because you've gotten away with a lot of stuff living at the institute."

 

I don’t get away with as much as you think, Daryl thought to himself. "Consequences like spanking?" he asked softly, fidgeting.

 

"Among other things but the punishments will fit the crime, so to speak."

 

"But if I stay here Lori won't let Beth see you anymore. I couldn't do that to either of you. She loves you and you her."

 

"Let me deal with Lori, Daryl, she is just upset right now with Negan showing up, thinking you were dead all those years and waking up to find out all that she had worked so hard to hide from Beth had been exposed. Lori is an amazing woman and I really believe she will see that she is making mistakes about a lot of things," Luke said.

 

Daryl pushed his eggs, which he didn’t want, around his plate and thought about it for a bit. "If I were to stay you would regret asking me. I'm a smart-alek, I rarely listen, I'm stubborn and I tend to destroy people and things that I'm around. It would be a big mistake."

 

"Haven't you learned that about me yet? I'm great at making huge mistakes," Luke smiled. "Will you stay?"

 

Daryl smirked, "it’s your sanity that's on the line."

 

"And your ass," Luke added quickly.

 

Daryl cringed. "I guess it would do this house good to have something beautiful in it. Maybe I will stick around for a while."

 

They talked for another hour going over rules and things that were expected of Daryl and about Luke only doing what was best for him and not trying to set him up to break rules like the Lightwoods did at times. Luke cleaned up the breakfast dishes and told Daryl to stay in the house and he would be back soon.

 

Luke had been gone about thirty minutes when Daryl laid down on the sofa rubbing his still sore backside. He hated to admit that the soreness comforted him a little and it wasn't bad unless he sat down really hard. He was so lost in thought about everything that had happened he nearly jumped out of his skin when the front door opened and Rick stomped through fussing about something.

 

"Why can't you just make Daryl fix it? It was all his stupid fault anyway."

 

"Enough Rick!" Luke yelled as Daryl sat up and glared at the vampire.

 

"As you can see Daryl has cleaned up everything so you are going to be doing other work for me this weekend as repayment." Luke leaned closer to the young vampire, "and since you no longer live with your mother it will not be a problem for me to deal out the needed punishments if you refuse."

 

Rick paled and gulped, "Fine whatever." He shot Daryl a dirty look.

 

"That's it," Daryl said jumping up and going towards Rick. "I'm tired of you _mundane_!" He knew since Rick was a vampire he was really a downworlder but the use of mundane was meant to be an insult, calling him a lesser being.

 

"Am I a mundane or a vampire, Nephilim? Make up your mind!" Rick snapped back. He was still new with this whole lifestyle but he knew enough to know he was being insulted.

 

Daryl launched at Rick but was caught mid-air by Luke and pulled back. "You're a pain in the ass is what you are! You may have downworlder blood but you will always be mundane!"

 

Rick jumped forward and kicked Daryl in the shin knowing that the Nephilim couldn't get out of Luke's grasp.

 

"ENOUGH!" Luke screamed. He took his free hand and smacked Rick's ass hard causing him to jump, spin around and throw his hands behind his back. Daryl instantly stopped struggling knowing how bad another spanking would be and the humiliation of having it done in front of the ‘child’. "Sit, both of you!" They complied but sat on opposite sides of the room. "You two are going to have to try and get along. Rick if you keep baiting Daryl and trying to upset him I will NOT keep holding him back. Do you understand?"

 

Daryl grinned, "Good!" Luke smacked him in the back of the head. "Owe," he sulked.

 

"I understand," Rick muttered.

 

"And Daryl, you know the rules of my house and since you live here now you know what will happen if you act like a child."

 

"Yes sir," he lowered his head.

 

"What the fuck do you mean 'Lives here now'?" Rick shouted jumping to his feet.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Daryl sat in the kitchen chair with a huge grin on his face having a cup of coffee as he watched Rick try not to gag around the bar of soap in his mouth. It appears that Luke didn't like cursing in his house either.

 

Luke sighed and looked at his watch. Were five minutes with a bar of dial enough to make Rick calm down? His hand was itching to give the vampire and the Nephilim both a good spanking but he wouldn't, yet, anyway. He stepped over and took the bar of soap out of Rick's mouth, "Are you done acting like a fool now?"

 

Rick looked a bit like a sick cat, tongue flicking out of his mouth and soap bubbles on the corners of his lips. "Yes, can I go rinse please?" he pleaded.

 

"Apologize to Daryl," Luke insisted.

 

Rick was not happy about it but if it meant getting this taste gone then fine. "I'm sorry."

 

"Daryl, apologize to Rick."

 

"What? Why? I didn't do anything!" Daryl protested. Luke turned to approach him and Daryl quickly complied. "I'm sorry Rick."

 

"Go rinse your mouth Rick then come back down. I have stuff for you to do."

 

Rick wasted no time running to the bathroom and gargling about a gallon of water. When he came back out, wiping his tongue on his shirt, he heard Luke talking to Daryl. Stupid Daryl taking over his family. Luke and the Frey's belonged to him, not the stupid Shadowhunter. Rick froze at the top of the stairs when he saw Luke holding Daryl by the arm giving him two hard swats on the ass. Oh, this was great! He couldn't wait to rub it in Daryl's face that he saw. He made a noise then stepped out where he could be seen. "You know Luke you should really get some better tasting soap cause, Blahhh."

 

Luke chuckled and shook his head, "there is a bucket of paint and a paintbrush in the kitchen get to work. Daryl, you start on the screen." Both boys went to work and Luke sighed. What had he gotten himself into?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading, please let me know. Comment, leave kudos.. let my know you like it or at least want to see what's going to happen next!

Luke watched Daryl fidgeting in the seat of his truck. "Calm down. Everything will be ok."

"No it won't," he bit his nails and bounced his knee. Edwin Lightwood had called and told Daryl he had to come to the institute for their meeting and Daryl knew this 'meeting' meant he was going to be sent to a prison in some God forsaken place and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. The best he could hope for was that no one else would get dragged into it.

They pulled up in front of the institute and Luke parked the truck. He turned and put his hand on Daryl's shoulder. "Everything will be ok Daryl. Just do as they ask and keep your attitude in check. They want Negan, not you. You're innocent in all of this."

"You're the only one who believes that," he said softly, biting a nail.

Luke took him by the chin and forced Daryl to look at him. "More people love you then you know Daryl Dixon." Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace handing it to him.

Daryl took the silver chain and pendant into his hand and studied it. The pendant was a wolf with runes on it very detailed and intricate.

"When I was attacked by wolves it was hard for many reasons, the main one being that I loved being a Shadowhunter. I had no choice in being turned any more then you have a choice now in having to face the Clave but I am still the same Lucian Greymark that I was before the bite. I still believe in the true Shadowhunter ways Daryl. I believe that if you're honest and do what's right the Angel will protect you. I carved that pendant myself." He heard Daryl gasp and he nodded, "the silver burned my hands until they bled and it was my way of punishing myself for the change. Even though I can't wear it I have kept it with me all this time to remind me that I am who I chose to be, not what other people think I am. I want you to have it to remind you of the same thing while you're put through this test."

Daryl slipped the chain over his head and with tears in his eyes pulled Luke into a big hug. "I don't know what's going to happen to me now but I.. I just want to thank you for trying to help me. I know the Lightwoods took me in when I was a kid, but they had too, I understand that now; you didn't have to." He leaned back and wiped his eyes, "let’s get this over with."

~*~*~*~*~ 

Church, the institution’s greeter and the resident cat, was waiting for them as the elevator stopped on the lower level. Daryl and Luke stepped out and Church hissed at Luke. "Stop that," Daryl scolded and laughed at he scratched the cat’s head.

"Stupid cat," Luke muttered.

"You know I'm sure he's probably saying, 'stupid dog' in cat," Daryl smirked, even when Luke popped him in the back of the head. They followed the cat down the long hallway and into the library. Everything had been cleared out of the center of the big room and a large table placed there. Daryl trembled as he was led to the center of the floor.

It seemed all the big guns showed up for this little trial. The Silent Brother’s had sent a representative. They were very intimidating to look at with their scarred faces, mouths sewn shut, communicating only through telepathy, but Daryl knew some of them. They were among the most powerful Shadowhunters and they had submitted to the painful task of accepting the most powerful runes known to the Nephilim. Most Shadowhunters feared them because they were the most knowledgeable of their people.

The Iron Sisters sent a representative. They were the female counterpart to the Silent brothers. These female Shadowhunters are the ones who make the weapons used by all Nephilim.

The new Inquisitor, which was basically the Nephilim equivalent of a prosecuting attorney, was here as well.

The Clave Council was also here. The Clave was made up of all the Shadowhunters in the world. They made the Nephilim laws and decided how current world events would affect the Nephilim. This Council member was here to represent them all. And of course, Andrea and Edwin Lightwood were here as this was their institute to run, as were a few other Shadowhunters. He really hoped his fear wasn't showing through because right now he was terrified.

"Daryl Morgenstern, do you know why you have been called here?" the Inquisitor asked, his voice deep and accusing.

"Because you're afraid and you need someone to blame?" Daryl replied. He saw Luke cringe out of the corner of his eye.

"You will watch your tone here boy," the Clave council warned. "You may have gotten by easy with the Lightwoods but this council will not tolerate your insolence."

"Daryl," he heard in his head; the silent brother no doubt. "We wish to question you about your father and your past using the Mortal Sword. Will you allow this?"

"Why?” Daryl asked. “I've told you, I know nothing about Negan that I wasn't taught to me by the Clave."

"You will do as you're told, boy," the Inquisitor snapped.

"Just because Brother Philip is asking you, doesn't mean you have a choice Morgenstern," the Council added.

Phillip, the silent brother spoke again, "It’s not because we don’t trust you. There may be some hidden memories, blocked memories that you don't realize you know, Daryl. This is the only way we can be sure."

Daryl pondered this for a moment before answering. "I will agree to this with one condition."

"Condition?" the council shouted, disbelieving.

"Daryl!" Edwin Lightwood yelled as he slammed his fist down on the table.

"What is your condition," Andrea sighed.

"I will do whatever you ask of me but no one else, my family or my friends that have nothing to do with anything Negan has ever done, will be punished for anything."

"We will discuss this condition," Phillip said. "For the time being, we command you will stay here at the institute."

Church, was back rubbing around his legs nudging him on so Daryl followed. The cat stopped at the door to his old room and waited for him to go inside before stretching and skittering off down the hall for a nap.

Daryl looked around the place that use to be his home and shivered. It was so cold and intuitional, nothing about it seemed homey. The institution on the outside looked like an old church that was falling down thanks to some well-placed magic runes. Inside it was almost like a hotel with huge, Victorian style rooms, one of the biggest libraries in the Nephilim world and its own infirmary. The more Daryl looked around he realized something was missing that he'd never noticed before when he was living here but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. He was still looking around in a semi-daze when Luke came in.

"Are you mad?" he demanded! "You have a condition? Daryl, they can take what they want from you regardless."

"I know but I don't have to make it easy for them. I have a right to protect my friends, what few I have left," he said turning his back on Luke.

Luke shook his head knowing that most of the people Daryl was trying to protect wouldn't do the same for him in return. He stepped up behind Daryl and squeezed his shoulder, "I'm going to stay here while you're here. I have the room right next door if you need me kid." He turned and left to give Daryl some time alone.

Daryl heard the door open again and laughed, "What you couldn't stay away for five minutes?"

"I haven't seen you in weeks," the female voice said.

He spun around, "Maggie? What are you doing here?"

She tried to give him a hug but he backed away. "We've missed you a lot," she told him.

"Bullshit," he huffed and turned his back to her. "Shane told me to get out just like your mother and I certainly haven't heard anything from you either."

"Why did I even bother to come ask you for help," she huffed and started to walk out of the room.

"What's wrong with Shane?" he asked turning back to her. He knew it had to be something with Shane.

"Nothing, maybe, but he's been gone all night and I can't find him. He had an argument with Glenn and went to fight off some of his anger. I swear you two are just alike," she rolled her eyes.

"Don't let your parents hear you say that." He grabbed a couple of Seraph blades out of his cabinet and tossed on a leather jacket. "I know a few places he might have gone." With a practiced ease, they snuck out of the institute and went in search of the man that used to be his brother, his parabatai. 

They searched for a couple hours before finding Shane at Pandemonium getting his ass kicked by a Byhar demon. Maggie snapped her whip around its neck pulling it off her brother while Daryl pulled him to his feet. "You alright?" Shane just nodded as Daryl and Maggie killed the demon.

They turned to check on Shane when they were finished. Maggie hugged him, "I was so worried! Why didn't you come home?" She sniffed catching the strong smell of liquor, "Are you drunk Shane?"

Daryl shook his head in disbelief. "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Alone, drinking, fighting demons. What the hell were you thinking?" He was pissed at Shane for being so selfish with his own life.

"What the hell do you care Daryl?" he slurred. "I know who you are, what you are. My parents told me everything. I can't believe I trusted you, that I was your parabatai."

Daryl stood stoically and listened to everything Shane said. He refused to let his former family see any emotion from him. He would not show them how badly it hurt that they felt that way about him. When Shane was finished he fell to the ground. Daryl stepped over and lifted him up dragging him out of the club.

When they got back to the institute they were met at the elevator by the Lightwoods. The elder Lightwood’s could see there had been a fight and that something was wrong with Shane. Edwin stepped forward and smelled the alcohol on his son. "Are you drunk?" he demanded, even Andrea cringed. "What is the meaning of this? Is that wizard you’re insisting on having around here influencing you to act out like this?"

"No dad," Shane slurred "he doesn't influence me, he doesn't even fuck me now that you told me I couldn't be with him and still be a hunter." 

Everyone gasped and Daryl knew this wasn't going to end well for Shane if he didn't do something fast. "Um, I'm sorry but I just hadn't seen Maggie and Shane in so long that I asked them to go out. I guess I just let things get out of hand."

Andrea and Maggie took Shane to his room. Edwin grabbed Daryl by the shirt collar and yanked him forward, "you leave my children alone! When this is over Daryl I never want to see you back here again."

"You won't have to," Daryl said, not backing down.

"Let’s see if you still have that defiance after your punishment," Edwin snapped, dragging Daryl down the hall.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Luke ran his hands through his hair and rubbed his tired eyes. He'd spent the past few hours talking to Phillip trying to find a way that assured he could stay with Daryl through this entire thing. He knew he had no rights with the Clave because he was a downworlder now but Philip found him a small loophole that might just work. Someone had to be with the accused that could take care of him. It stopped the 'accused' of having any influence over the council during the trial because they wouldn't have to see to his needs. ‘Needs’, leave it to the Clave to make keeping someone alive and giving the most basic of care a burden. Now it was time to check on Daryl and let him know he wouldn't leave him.

He tapped on the door and opened it stepping inside, "Daryl?" He scanned the room and didn't see him. Maybe he was in the restroom? He walked toward the door when something caught his eye beside the bed. "Daryl?!"

The boy was laying on the floor a sobbing, trembling, sweating mess when he heard the door open. He couldn't take any more of the belt so he tried to hide under the bed but he didn't make it. He felt someone grab his leg. "No, please. No more."

"Shh Daryl it's ok," Luke soothed. There was no place on Daryl's body that wasn't welted or bleeding. "I'm going to pick you up and put you on the bed but it's going to hurt when I touch you." As careful as he could Luke turned and lifted Daryl into his arms placing him on the bed. Daryl had screamed so much his voice was hoarse and cracking. "I'll be right back," Luke rushed to the bathroom and gathered some supplies. When he returned he sat on the bed next to the battered boy. "Daryl look at me. Daryl," Luke stroked his hair and his arm. "I need you to answer me, please."

"H..hurts," he sobbed.

"Who did this to you?" Luke demanded.

"E..Edwin Lightwood."

"Why?"

Daryl just shook his head and buried his face in the pillow. Luke decided to tend to the boy before asking him any more questions.

The cleaning process was brutal because there was quite a bit of broken skin from what looked like a vicious belting. The more he cleaned the madder Luke became. When he wiped the blood off the boy’s sit spots it caused him to scream and try to dart forward away from the touch. Luke had enough of this and carefully pulled Daryl to him bending his legs so that nothing was touching his sore backside and thighs and began stroking his hair. "I've got you, kid, it's going to be ok."

Daryl felt Luke's arms around him and scooted as close as he could burying his face in his chest and cried. Not just from the pain but because of Shane's outburst and Maggie not even trying to defend him with her father. Daryl couldn’t help but feel like it had all been a setup to try to make him as weak as possible for this stupid meeting. He tried to stop the tears but he couldn't, the harder he tried to hold it back the more he lost control. All he could do was cling to Luke and scream before finally sobbing himself to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Edwin Lightwood looked up as Luke threw the doors to the meeting hall open and stormed inside. "I will not hear it, Lucian, the boy had it coming for what he did."

 

Luke didn't stop moving until he was standing face to face with Edwin and punched him square in the jaw sending him sprawling on the floor. Everyone jumped to their feet but were too stunned to move. "He is just a boy! Not someone for you to take your frustrations out on!"

 

"What is the meaning of this outburst?" the Iron Sister demanded; as tall and as menacing as the silent brothers.

 

Edwin got up and brushed off his suit. "The wolf needs to leave if he is going to react this way to that insolent brat getting the punishment he deserves!" he shouted.

 

Luke started forward again but the Iron Sister stepped in front of him. "Enough! We will not tolerate this type of behavior!" She turned to Luke, "Explain yourself downworlder."

 

"I went to check on Daryl after my meeting with Phillip. I found him in a bloody, beaten heap on the floor!"

 

She turned to Edwin, "Explain yourself, Shadowhunter."

 

"Daryl coerced my children into going out and got my son drunk at which time they were attacked by a demon and unable to defend themselves! So yes I PUNISHED him! I should have done it more often while he was with us! Maybe he wouldn’t have turned out like…."

 

"Who are you to deal out punishment?" Phillip demanded, cutting Edwin off before he could finish his thought. "We are convened to learn about this child, to see his past and his true actions for ourselves and not see it through someone else's eyes. You should have brought him before us not taken him in your own hand. You will remain here until we return."

 

Edwin sat down fearfully in his seat. "Of course, I apologize but I will protect my children council or not."

 

"Lucian take us to the boy," Ina, the Iron Sister said.

 

Luke nodded and led Ina and Phillip to Daryl's room where the boy still lay trembling on the bed, his body soaked with sweat. He started to go to him but Ina placed her hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

 

Daryl saw the Silent Brother and the Iron Sister approach him on either side of the bed and he tensed. "No..."

 

"It's ok Nephilim we are not here to harm you," Philip said in a soft tone. "We wish to see the damages of this punishment that was administered."

 

Daryl’s eyes were wide and his breath coming in harsh pants but he nodded his consent. He felt the sheet lifted off of him and was grateful they didn't drag it over his skin. True to their word they did not hurt him and only touched him a couple of times on the worst looking places to see how deep the lashes had gone. Soon he felt the sheet lowered back in place and he released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

 

The Iron Sister sat down on the edge of the bed. "Daryl, my name is Ina and I would like to search your mind for what happened." She felt him shudder, "it will be easier for us to see it for ourselves instead of getting two different stories."

 

"Because I'm a Morgenstern and I can't be trusted," he sighed. "It is my word against a Lightwood so I am the one who is wrong. I knew it would be like this when I came here." He squeezed his pillow almost to the point of popping it in his anger and frustration. "I don't care if you believe me or not. You are just as bad as the Clave when it comes to doing what you want no matter what. All that matters to any of you is that it goes how YOU want it and to hell with whoever gets hurt in the fallout!" He forced himself to his feet even though the pain is nearly unbearable and started toward the bathroom, a sheet draped around himself.

 

"That is not true," Ina said. "We have no reason to distrust you just as we have no reason to distrust Edwin Lightwood."

 

"When we see into your mind we see what happens, not your version of what happens or Edwin Lightwood’s version," Phillip explained. "It allows no argument of favoritism to either side."

 

"If you wish us to leave, we will," Ina said as she stood, "but this matter will not be brought up again nor will the offer to find the truth in your mind instead of Lightwood’s."

 

"Wait," he said fidgeting, shifting his weight from one foot to the other to try to elevate some of the pain. "I'll do it."

 

Phillip bowed his head in approval, "It would be best for you to lay back down as you will get weak from this and a fall will harm you further."

 

Daryl carefully crawled back onto the bed and gasped when he felt two large hands touch his head. He heard the odd sound, like a high pitched hum the silent brothers made when they started a reading and his entire body begin to tingle as his head filled with a bright blinding light.

 

He came to with a start, hearing several voices yelling in unison and groaned holding his pounding head. Someone said 'he's awake' followed by a 'finally' somewhere else in the room and he felt a hand on his shoulder.

 

"Daryl?" Luke asked, worried.

 

"I'm ok," though he didn't sound very convincing, even to himself. "Headache."

 

"It will dissipate soon," Ina said softly as she and Luke helped move him to a sitting position. He cried out as his torn skin was pulled and rubbed and blushed at his outburst. Luke's hand was on his shoulder in a show of support.

 

"Edwin Lightwood, step forward," Phillip commanded. "Did you question either of your children about this incident?"

 

"No Daryl confessed to me, I saw no need," he defended.

 

"Remember Shadowhunter we saw what happened with our own eyes," Ina warned. "We know neither child in question but even we could see that he was trying to protect his friend."

 

"He took them out of the Institute and got them drunk!" Edwin roared. "How is that not his fault?"

 

"You know that is not true," Ina said calmly, "but you will believe only what your mind wants to see." She turned to face the rest of the council, "It is our decision that no one but Lucian will be allowed to punish this boy for anything that doesn't pertain to this gathering and if any punishment is due as a result of this Council then it will be decided upon by all involved, not just one person alone."

 

"A member of the Clave will come forward and put a mark of healing on him,” Phillip intoned in everyone’s heads. “It will take several applications to heal him from this. Edwin Lightwood you shall also receive punishment for what you did here which will be decided upon later."

 

"To stop all of the accusations of attempting to escape and fight we will allow a rune to be put upon him that will keep him weak and compliant. There will be guards with him at all times for his protection and everyone else's. Is this agreeable?" Ina asked.

 

Everyone nodded, including Daryl, when Ina spoke again. "He will be addressed as Daryl Dixon for the rest of this council as it pains him to be called Morgenstern." Daryl's eyes snapped up in surprise and he gave her a grateful nod.

 

One of the council members stepped forward and took out his stele. Philip nodded his consent for him to mark the boy. "Lie down on your stomach please." Daryl complied crying out again as he moved. When the sheet was moved the Shadowhunter gasped and glared at Edwin wanting to yell at him but thinking better of it. Quickly he drew a healing rune on the boys back and another on the lower thigh because the damage was so bad. In the small of his back, he drew the rune of constraint then rose and turned to the others. "It is done. We will leave two hunters outside his door at all time to assure this doesn't happen again."

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

~The mortal sword, a large double-edged sword, with angel wings adorning its hilt, was the second of the ‘Mortal Instrument’s’ given to the Nephilim by the angel Raziel. It was made so that the holder of the sword was compelled, to tell the truth. The process was very painful both mentally and physically. Merely holding the sword caused the holder to feel as if hooks were being embedded into their skin as they froze from cold.~

 

The Mortal Sword clattered loudly to the ground as it slid from Daryl’s limp hands for the second time that hour. "Sorry," he slurred. It had been two weeks since the questions began and between the Rune of Constraint and the ritual he was being put through it seemed like his strength was waning daily. It was hard for him to hold his own head up much less the sword but he hefted it into his hands once more.

 

It seemed like they had asked a million questions starting with most recent events and going backward. They were not only asking questions pertaining to Negan but questions about Daryl and his personal life, how he was raised by the Lightwoods and how he felt about them. Now they were asking questions about his time with Negan as a child. He told them about the books, the chambers he had in his house and even some things that he didn't realize he'd known about screams in the house and rituals he'd seen performed.

 

Just when he thought they were done the questions became personal. It was like he was physically reliving all of the physical, mental and emotional abuse Negan had put him through including the 'spaghetti bath' which had actually been a tub of snakes the child had been put into as punishment for breaking his father’s stele. The Inquisitor even cringed at some of the tortures inflicted on the boy at his father's hands. Yet every time Daryl would say, "He only did it to make me stronger, to make me a man."

 

Luke never liked to use the word hate but he really did hate Negan Morgenstern and if he ever got his hands on the man he would rip every inch of flesh off his body one piece at a time. Daryl was arrogant and conceited but in truth, he could back up everything he said with his fighting skills and intelligence. Everyone always thought his recklessness and lack of fear were because he was uncaring and full of himself but it wasn't. He had no fear because he has no concern for himself. He truly believed that his own life is unimportant, that he was put here to do a job and if he died at it then oh well, but if he let someone else get hurt or killed then he was nothing and deserved every punishment he could receive including ones given to himself. Luke shook himself from his thoughts when he heard Daryl cry out.

 

The boy was curled on the floor cowering as if someone was hitting him. "No, please! I'm sorry, father! I won't do it again I swear," Daryl whimpered. He had known better than to sneak out of bed but he wanted to study the big book of runes so he could impress his father. He hadn't meant to knock the other book down and spill all the papers. Daryl felt the belt lash him over and over as he begged him to stop.

 

"Enough!" Luke yelled as he ran to Daryl and took the sword out of his hand.

 

Daryl's head slowly began to clear and he could hear the council talking softly but he was too weak and tired to move. As soon as the sword was taken from him his body quickly became overheated. The cold floor felt good and he tried to press himself harder against it when he felt arms around him pulling him to his feet.

 

"This has gone on long enough! You have to have all the information you need by now. What you’re putting him through is just torture," Luke snapped.

 

"We do nothing idly Lucian," Ina warned him. "We will discuss what we learned today and see where we stand. You may take him now."

 

He pulled Daryl to his feet pulling the boy’s arm around his shoulders so that he could support him. The Nephilim leaned into him bodily, barely able to hold any of his own weight. At fifteen years old this boy had been through more than most people had to endure in a lifetime. He pushed the door to Daryl's bedroom open with his foot and dragged him inside dropping him on the bed a bit harder than he intended.

 

"You make a sucky rescue dog,” Daryl said weakly. “You don't even have that little barrel of whiskey around your neck," he tried to smirk. He felt like the world was spinning a hundred miles an hour and his head and stomach were both going in opposite directions. Sitting up and putting his head in his hands he moaned, "If this is what it's like to be drunk why in the hell do people do it?"

 

 

Luke laughed softly and mussed his hair. "I'll be right back. I'm going to get some ice and water for you. Don't stand up," he told him. When he didn't get a response he smacked Daryl on the leg, "Do you hear me?"

 

"Ow, yes, don't get up, I heard you," Daryl growled.

 

The small girl watched from her hiding spot in the hallway as Luke left the room and carefully snuck inside. "Daryl?" she asked, worriedly.

 

Daryl’s head snapped up which he instantly regretted, having to swallow several times to stop from throwing up. Once he was able to open his mouth without losing something, "Sophia? What are you doing here?"

 

"I..I missed you," the little girl said softly, taking a few more unsure steps toward Daryl.

 

"You're going to get in trouble for being here, you need to go."

 

Sophia looked crushed and tears stung her eyes as she turned to leave, "I'm sorry."

 

"Wait,” Daryl sighed and tried to stand but his legs wouldn't support him. "Sophia, I want you to stay. I've missed you so much but your parents will get mad at you darlin’."

 

"Why?"

 

He opened his mouth a few times before he could come up with anything to say. "I, it's complicated."

 

"I know, I'm too young," she huffed. "By the time I'm not too young I'll be too old."

 

Daryl chuckled, "I know it feels like that kiddo but just hang in there. Things will be back to normal soon."

 

Sophia smiled at that. "Then we can watch movies and play games again?"

 

Tears stung Daryl's eyes because he knew that once this was over he would probably be stripped of his Shadowhunter life and he knew regardless that the Lightwoods would never allow him around again, especially around Sophia. He saw the two guards standing outside his door and sighed. "Would you do something for me, Sophia?"

 

"Sure." she nodded.

 

"Open the first drawer on the right, of my desk. Inside you will find a silver box. Get it and also get my stele." The guards turned to look but Daryl shook his head no and thankfully, they didn't come barging in.

 

Sophia picked up the pretty silver box that had lots of runes carved in it and Daryl's stele and started toward him.

 

"Don't come any closer," Daryl said quickly stopping the girl in her tracks. He knew holding a stele would cause everyone to come descending down on him. "I know you're old enough to listen to me, right?"

 

"Yes!" Sophia nodded, excitedly.

 

"I.. I probably won't be around after this council again kiddo."

 

"Why? That's not fair! I heard mom and dad say you were mean now but it's not true! I know it’s not!" Sophia cried, tears streaming down her little face.

 

"Shhh, listen to me ok? Your parents are just trying to protect you. I.. I tried to be a good brother kiddo but sometimes things happen that people can't control and one of those things happened to me. The bad man that everyone is trying to find well he's, he's my father," Daryl tried to explain.

 

"So! That doesn’t make you bad Daryl," she frowned.

 

Daryl’s head was spinning, he wasn't up for this but he loved Sophia like his own little sister and the kid looked up to him. If anyone was going to tell Sophia why he was going away, it was going to be him. "But I am Sophia," he sighed fighting to keep tears from falling himself. "I don't mean to be buddy, but there were some things that happened and I," he paused. "I'm sorry Sophia I wish it wasn't true; I'm sorry," he said again softly. Wiping his hands over his face, "The silver box is something I bought for you a few years ago. I wanted to be the one to help teach you to use it but now Shane and Maggie will have to."

 

Sophia opened the box with shaky hands and her eyes got huge, "It's a stele!" She rubbed his fingers over the green crystal shard that was encased in an intricately carved silver water dragon that circled half the crystal. A stele is an instrument made by the Iron Sisters and only used by Nephilim. The device was used to draw runes on their bodies and weapons to aid in healing, fighting against demons and anything else they might come across. It was given to a Shadowhunter when they came of age to begin their training. The look of each stele was different, based on the Hunter who owned it.

 

He smiled sadly, "Your very own stele. You have to promise to be careful with it ok and don't try to use it until you’re ready. Promise, for me?"

 

She wanted to run and give Daryl a hug but she stopped herself when she saw Daryl tense. "I.. I don't know what to say. No one ever gave me anything like this before."

 

He smiled, "Your brother and sister love you, Sophia, they just don't always know how to show it. They worry about you getting into the Shadowhunter life because they don't want you to get hurt."

 

"You don't worry about me getting hurt."

 

Daryl chuckled, "No I didn't kid because I would have been there to protect you no matter what. Now it's up to them and you to listen and do, as they say, got it?"

 

"Yes," Sophia said softly placing the top back on the stele box.

 

"I want you to keep my stele too." He saw Sophia's eyes snap up to look at him. "I'm not going to be needing it anymore and I want someone who will take care of it to have it. It's not a good idea for you to tell anyone I gave it to you so I want you to just put it away ok? If you ever feel alone or scared just take it out and hold it and know that somewhere, somehow Sophia I will be watching over you." Daryl could no longer hide the tears now as they were streaming down his face. "I love you, Sophia. You need to go now and don't come back." The kid didn't move at first but when Daryl yelled "Go!" she ran out the door. She didn't see Daryl fall back on the bed sobbing quietly.

 

Luke had been standing outside the door for most of the conversation with the two guards who were now blinking back tears. He took a deep breath and went inside after Sophia left. He put the tray he was carrying on the bedside table and sat on the bed next to Daryl placing a hand on his back. "I have never met anyone like you kid." Lifting the boy to a sitting position Luke dipped a cloth into the bowl of water he brought and wiped Daryl's face with it.

 

"Yeah I'm one in a million," Daryl scoffed as he took the cloth from Luke and wiped his neck before accepting the glass of ice water. His hands were shaking so badly the ice was clanking against the glass as he tried to take a drink. "How long before we have to go back?"

 

"I am making them give you a couple days off to rest. You look like hell."

 

Daryl was about to fire back a smart-ass comment but he ended up spilling his water down his chest. "Fuck!"

 

Luke grabbed the glass and helped steady Daryl as he leaped to his feet. "Graceful Nephilim," he smirked.

 

"Bite me mutt," Daryl grumbled as he let Luke help him to the bathroom to clean up.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Abe was getting everything set up for the pack meeting today. Luke had called and was finally able to get some time away from the institute and they had several things they needed to discuss. He was telling Beth and another she-wolf, Kara to make sure that the files on the latest attacks were on the table. There was an audible gasp from several people who had remained in the cell area of the prison they called home, as the front door opened. Luke had arrived and he had the Nephilim in tow.

 

"What? Never seen a real hunter before," Daryl growled at them all. How dare they look at him like that; with sympathy?

 

"Enough," Luke warned grabbing his arm tightly. He’d gotten Ina and Phillip to agree to let him take Daryl out of the institute for a while as long as he still had the rune of restraint.

 

"Time to move to the meeting hall," Abe snapped causing everyone to leave the room. He looked at Luke then Daryl and couldn't believe his eyes. The kid looked like a dead man walking. He was so pale he was nearly translucent, eyes black and sunken, cheekbones jutting out even more than before.

 

"Stop staring at me, dog," Daryl snapped trying to break Luke's grip on his arm.

 

Abe started to speak but thought better of it and nodded as he left to go to the meeting hall.

 

"That is quite enough Daryl," Luke warned again. "They are simply concerned."

 

"They are grateful to see a Nephilim so weak! It’s the only way they could win a fight but they won't ever! I may be.."

 

"Shut up Daryl!" Luke snapped. "You don't have to try to prove to me or anyone else that you aren't weak. All you’re doing is wasting the time you have out of the institute lashing out at people who only have concern for you." Daryl started to retort but Luke stepped face to face with him. "I said enough." He noticed the boy starting to waver slightly on his feet. "I have a surprise for you if you stop with the attitude."

 

He lowered his eyes, sort of ashamed of his outburst but he hated sympathy and he knew everyone could see how weak he was now, there was no rune or glamor that would hide it. "What," he asked petulantly; crossing his arms.

 

It was going to be a long day Luke thought as he led Daryl to one of the old interrogation rooms. He leaned close to Daryl's ear so only he could hear him, "I know what you have been through but I will punish you for misbehavior Daryl so please don't make me. I'll be back as soon as the meeting is over."

 

He was about to ask where his surprise was when Luke pushed him through the door and he saw her. "Beth?" he gasped.

 

"Oh Daryl," she ran to him and hugged him. "I've been so worried about you! Are you alright?"

 

He held her back from him just enough to see her face, "I'm great now. I've missed you so much. Tell me everything that's been going on."

 

They sat down on the table, legs touching, "Well mom is calming down a little. I think everything just happened so fast that she honestly couldn't cope with it. Everything she tried to hide, to bury in the past just fell apart. We've had a lot of talks and arguments but I think we are going to be ok."

 

He was smiling like a kid win a candy store but he couldn't help it. To be near her, to hear her voice again was like life being breathed back into him. He might actually love Beth! "Really? That's wonderful Beth. I'm glad you are getting things worked out."

 

"We've been talking about you too," she smiled.

 

"Yeah?" he wasn't sure if he was ready for this.

 

"She is starting to come around about you now. She said if I believed in you so much that you couldn't be like Negan." He forced a small smile as she continued, holding her hand in his. "She is convinced that you are my brother, though," Beth said softly.

 

He tensed so hard it was painful and he couldn't breathe. "Beth.."

 

"She said that if she was ever going to be able to get to know you that I couldn't, that we couldn't," she took her hand back and fidgeted. "We can't see each other anymore other than brother and sister."

 

He clenched his hands together on his lap. "I see."

 

"I," she hopped off the table and turned to face him, "I have been seeing someone so that she will believe that I'm trying."

 

Daryl’s heart stopped. This was worse than anything he'd endured so far, but, Beth was so happy that he forced a smile. "Who's the lucky guy? Rick?"

 

"No," Beth shook her head. She was so happy he was taking this so well. "Rick isn't talking to me right now." Daryl arched a brow. "He didn't take my dating someone else as well as you are," she explained. "He said losing to you was one thing but losing to Milton Mamet was more than he could take."

 

"Milton Mamet? The stupid poem reading guy at Java Jones?" He was dumbfounded that she would date him.

 

"Yeah," she nodded. "He’s the best!"

 

Daryl had to convulsively swallow to keep from throwing up as he listened to her prattle on about her and Milton and how nice it was to be around someone ‘normal’ again. A buzzing sound rushed through his ears and his head began to spin after about thirty minutes of her date stories.

 

"Daryl, Daryl," she realized he hadn’t been listening to her a few minutes ago and was trying to get his attention. "I'm going to get Luke," she said worriedly.

 

"No, please I'm just tired is all. I really hate to do it but I think I need to lie down for a bit." He stood and gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head, "It was so good to see you again Beth and I'm so glad things are better for you."

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Luke had gone back to the office area to set up some schedules for the pack before he had to go back to the institute. He looked up from behind his desk and saw Daryl leaning against the wall. "Where's Beth?"

 

"She said to tell you she was sorry she didn't get to say goodbye but she had to go, and that she still expected you at your Saturday morning pancake date."

 

He smiled at that, he'd missed her. "Everything ok?"

 

"Yeah," he nodded, reading over Luke's shoulder. "What's happening?"

 

"Just the usual really," tossing the papers down to rub his eyes. "There is someone turning young children. Abe is going to increase patrols and see if we can catch them."

 

"That is against the accords," Daryl said with a frown. "Shouldn't the clave be involved?"

 

"They should but they haven't been doing anything lately, so my pack has been trying to keep things in check."

 

"Because they've been so focused on me." Daryl bit his thumbnail, "and so have you. You've been neglecting your pack because you had to take care of me."

 

"No," Luke started but Daryl stopped him.

 

"I won't be a burden to anyone Luke. I will stay at the institute and finish the questioning you stay with the pack."

 

"That's not going to happen," Luke scoffed.

 

"Why? Look I know I've been acting like a worthless bastard lately but I'm not. I can take care of myself." He stood and started out the door but Luke grabbed his arm.

 

"You are not leaving and you certainly haven't been acting like a worthless bastard. Where is this coming from?" Luke asked.

 

"Thank you for everything you've done but really, I can take care of myself." Daryl tried to pull his arm free but Luke wouldn't let go.

 

Luke stood up in front of him, "I don't know what's going on but I am not going to let you run away Daryl."

 

"Who's going to stop me? You? Do you think you can take me, Luke? I am one of the best Shadowhunters alive." Daryl knew that Luke was neglecting people he cared about because he was spending all his time on him. Daryl knew if he pushed hard enough that Luke would throw him out; it's what always happened. Daryl pushed until whoever was getting close to him tossed him out. Beth needed Luke and so did Lori but that would never happen with Daryl around all the time, besides he was getting too dependent on Luke. Hell he even wanted to go to him for comfort over Beth. It had to end no matter how much it hurt him. Daryl was nothing but an empty shell anymore anyway. "Let. Me. Go." he said through gritted teeth.

 

If Luke were being honest with himself he had expected Daryl to try to run, part of the earlier meeting was telling his pack that if Daryl did run that he was to be subdued and Luke called immediately but he hadn't expected the anger that he was seeing from the Nephilim. "I don't know why you're acting this way Daryl but it’s not acceptable."

 

Daryl shoved Luke backward hard but the werewolf barely budged. Damn Clave and their subduing runes. He pushed him again harder this time causing Luke to stumble backward but he still didn't fall so Daryl swung on him. When his fist connected with the man’s jaw, it wasn't Luke that cried out, it was Daryl.

 

There was a fury of fists and kicks, Daryl was all arms and legs lashing out and a few connecting with Luke’s body as he tried to restrain him. "Daryl! Damn it, kid, stop!" He got kicked in the gut and fell to the floor but managed to take the Nephilim down with him. "Enough!" It was almost like Daryl wasn't even conscious of what he was doing as he fought. Thank God for the rune of restraint because Luke doubted he would be able to survive otherwise.

 

Abe heard someone fighting in the office and ran inside the office. "What the hell?"

 

"Grab his legs!" Luke yelled as he wound around the lithe, struggling body as tightly as he could. He sighed in relief when help arrived.

 

It took about forty-five minutes for Daryl to exhaust himself and Luke wasn't far behind having been battered and bruised. When Daryl went lax in his grip he heaved a sigh of relief. "Are you done?" Luke growled at the sweaty, Nephilim on his chest. His only response was harsh panting. "Let’s get him up," he told Abe.

 

They got Daryl to his feet and had to drag him back to Luke's private room. "What do you need me to do?" Abe asked.

 

"Keep the others out of here and let me deal with it," Luke sighed.

 

"What the hell did they do to that kid, Luke?" Abe asked.

 

"You don't want to know," he groaned as he laid the boy on the bed, "you really don't want to know."


	5. Chapter 5

Luke threw back several aspirins following them with a gulp of coffee. His head was killing him after the fight with Daryl and he still had no idea what had caused his outburst. He was starting to realize that the boy was far more broken than anyone had ever known. What had happened to him and how did he survive through so much? Luke’s cell phone rang jarring him from his thoughts. "Hello."

 

"Luke?" Lori's voice was soft on the line.

 

He was shocked to hear from her. "Um, how are you?" Luke wondered if Beth had ratted him out for letting her see Daryl.

 

"I was wondering if you and," she hesitated, "the boy, would want to meet somewhere for dinner?"

 

Luke was shocked, to say the least. "Why?" came out before he could stop it. "I mean, what's changed? The last I heard from you was you wanted him to stay away from you and Beth."

 

"I'm trying, ok?” she sighed. “I promised Beth if she would try to work on this thing with him so would I."

 

He nodded even though she couldn't see it. "He's not doing well right now Lori, I'm not sure if he can take much more." He was feeling very protective of Daryl and he didn’t trust her intentions.

 

"Jesus Luke, you sound like I'm going to hurt him," she snapped. How could Luke feel more loyal to the kid then to her and Beth?

 

He wanted to tell her that hurting Daryl was all she’d ever done but he didn't. "All I'm saying is that I'm not sure it’s a good idea right now."

 

"I promised Beth, Luke, please. You do remember the girl you've treated as a daughter all these years, right? You do still care about her right?" Lori huffed.

 

Luke couldn't contain the growl that escaped him. "You know damn well that I love Beth, Lori! As if she were my own!"

 

"Ok, ok calm down. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you've not spent any time with us lately and we both miss you."

 

He sighed, "I miss you too but you were the one who said as long as Daryl was around that you and Beth wouldn't be," Luke reminded her.

 

"I'm trying to fix that Luke, please. We can meet at a public place so no yelling or fighting will happen ok?"

 

She really didn't know much about her son, Luke thought. "Fine but don't make me regret this, Lori." They decided on a time and a place before hanging up. Now to break the news to Daryl.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Luke walked over to the bed and sat down next to Daryl and realized the boy was awake and had tears in his eyes. Unsure of how Daryl would react to him, Luke kept his voice soft and soothing. "Feeling better?"

 

As soon as Daryl saw the bruise on Luke's jaw he was flooded with guilt. He'd caused that. It was his fault. He tried to turn away but Luke's hand stopped him. "I'm fine."

 

"Good to hear,” Luke nodded, “cause we are going out to dinner."

 

Daryl looked at Luke like he'd grown a second head. "What?"

 

"Lori and Beth want to meet us for dinner and we are going."

 

"You maybe but I am not," Daryl huffed as he stood up.

 

Luke took a deep, calming breath. "Daryl you are going to have to face this. Lori is your mother and she wants to try to get to know you. Is that really so bad?"

 

"Amor quoque perdere est amari perdere," Daryl said, almost too soft for Luke to hear.

 

"What?" Luke didn't know the language that Daryl had spoken.

 

"I don't need a mother," anger was clear on Daryl’s face.

 

"You're doing this Daryl; end of discussion and you will be on your best behavior because we will be in a public place." Luke placed his big hand on the boy’s chest and shoved him back against the wall hard enough to get Daryl’s attention and let him know he meant business. "I'm going to let you off the hook on the punches from earlier, this time, but know this; if you ever do something like that again Daryl Dixon, I will not be so kind."

 

Daryl actually felt himself shrink back from Luke's anger. He felt so guilty about what he'd done earlier he could do nothing but nod, even if it meant he had to go face Beth and his 'mother'. Hell if he was lucky maybe Beth would bring her boyfriend and it would be a big party,” he thought, sarcastically.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

A couple hours later Luke and Daryl arrived at a quiet family diner downtown, where Beth and Lori were waiting for them. Luke put Daryl on the inside of the booth just in case he tried to run. Luke then leaned over and gave Beth a hug and kiss on the head and hugged Lori before sitting down next to Daryl.

 

Lori saw the look that Luke was giving her and she sighed. "Daryl, thank you for coming. I've been wanting to speak to you."

 

Luke's warning of many bad punishments if he wasn't on his best behavior played over and over in his head causing him to really think before he spoke. He wanted to tell his ‘mother’ that she sure as hell didn’t sound like she wanted to talk to him, but he stopped himself. "Last time we were together, you told me to stay away from you and Beth. I've done that."

 

The waitress came over, gave them menus and took their drink orders. "I'm sorry things got off to such a rocky start. It was just such a shock to me when I found out you were alive and then that you and Beth were, together,” she shivered at the thought. “When I got back from being held prisoner and found out that you had exposed Beth to everything I’d worked so hard to shelter her from…” she trailed off.

 

Daryl looked up at Lori, ready to say that she was the one who had screwed up. Keeping Beth in the dark about what was really out there only made things worse. Beth wasn't prepared for the dangers she encountered and if Daryl hadn't found her she'd be dead. As he opened his mouth to speak he saw the hopeful look on Beth’s face and how happy Luke looked to be with them again. Instead of responding he just bit his nail and fidgeted in his seat. His life may suck but he didn’t have to make everyone else miserable too.

 

This was going just perfect, Luke thought sarcastically. Trying to lighten the mood he starting asking Beth how things had been with her. It seemed to work and soon they were all starting to relax; except Daryl.

 

The dinner had gone off without a problem much to Luke’s surprise. Daryl was quiet but he’d even smiled a few times at some of Beth’s stories. It felt good to be able to smile and laugh again. Luke had quietly fussed at Daryl because he hadn't touched his food. Beth laughed. "I know what he needs," she smiled and whispered something to the waitress. Moments later a huge plate of brownies were brought to the table. They were what she and Daryl had the first time they came here together; their first date really. "So mom, wasn't there something you wanted to say to Daryl?" Beth elbowed her mother.

 

Lori looked uncomfortable and started to fidget. "I, uh, well, I wanted to say that I was wrong. I thought when Beth told you that she was dating Milton Mamet, that you would go mad with rage and," she paused and tried to find the right words, "react like your father."

 

Luke's eyes shot up, "you’re dating someone else?"

 

Beth nodded and smiled. "I told Daryl today when we talked. He was so happy for me just like I knew he would be,” she smiled and patted Daryl’s hand that was resting on the table. “As soon as we talked I had to run home and tell mom. I knew she was wrong about him. He would never do anything to hurt me no matter what. When I told her I made mom promised she'd try to get to know Daryl," Beth said proudly.

 

Daryl saw Luke turn to him with a look of apology. Daryl's look, however, was just a neutral mask, at this point, he didn’t care anymore, didn’t feel. He just wanted to get through this trial with the Clave and be done, with everything. "Of course I'm happy for you," Daryl told Beth, a forced smile on his face. I just wish it was me, he added silently. Beth had been the only person who ever told him she loved him and he had let himself have feelings for her too.

 

"You know Daryl," Lori spoke, "You have to understand that when I found out Negan had given me demon blood when I was pregnant with you, I was terrified. I had no idea how the blood was going to affect you or how I could fix it." She heard Beth gasp but she continued on. "Then when you were born I knew something terrible was wrong."

 

"Lori enough," Luke warned.

 

Demon blood? He had demon blood in his veins? "I need to hear this," Daryl said placing a calming hand on Luke's arm for a moment, then moving it so Luke wouldn't feel him trembling.

 

"Daryl, you have to understand I planned to run and take you with me but Negan found out and was livid. He cornered me in your room one day and placed a drop of blood on your lips. When he did," she pretended to bite back tears, "your eyes went solid black and your features changed into.."

 

"ENOUGH!" Luke shouted as he pushed Daryl out of the booth and stood. "How could you, Lori?" he demanded. Beth was crying and hysterical and Daryl looked like a statue, frozen in horror.

 

Luke and Lori were arguing about her being cold and hurtful and they didn’t see Daryl move until he was in between them. "Changed into what?" he asked. She didn't respond, instead, she looked at Luke. "ANSWER ME!" Daryl screamed, causing the cook to come out of the kitchen to see what was going on. "Say it, Lori Fairchild! What was I?" Daryl demanded. He needed to hear the words.

 

Luke put his arm around Daryl trying to pull him away. Daryl didn’t need this, not now. Luke was afraid this would finish breaking boy. Before he could wrangle Daryl away, Lori answered him. "A demon. You were a Demon, Daryl."

 

The smile that spread across Daryl's face was frightening. "So when I died, or so you thought, it was a huge relief, right? You really didn't question if those were my bones that were found in that fire, did you? Just as long as I was gone, that’s all that mattered."

 

"Stop it!" Beth shouted getting to her feet. "Daryl please, I'm so sorry I didn't know any of this." Beth came toward him to hug him but he put out his hand to stop her.

 

"I needed to know," Daryl said, firmly. "I had a right to know. Thank you, Lori. I know the memories have to be very hard for you to re-live,” he said, sincerely.

 

Luke didn't know who he was more pissed at. Lori for telling the story or Daryl for being so damn calm. Luke wanted to hurt someone right now and Daryl was making polite conversation. Daryl’s voice startled Luke out of his thoughts.

 

"If you will stop trying to squeeze the life out of me I think I would like to go now." Daryl was finding it hard to breathe Luke's grip was so tight. When Luke released him Daryl took Lori's hands in his, "Amor quoque perdere est amari perdere." Lori nodded at Daryl, tears in her eyes as she watched him walk out the door.

 

Luke ran out after him expecting Daryl to try and run away, instead, he saw the boy get in the passenger side of his old truck. Luke went around and got behind the wheel, "Daryl I had no idea. I'm sorry."

 

"Stop Luke. You of all people have nothing to be sorry for. All you have tried to do is help me. I needed to know what I am. It really explains a lot." Daryl wasn’t angry, he felt peace. Daryl finally knew why he’d been treated the way he had all his life.

 

"It's not true Daryl, none of it. You wouldn't be a Nephilim if you were a demon. You couldn't bear the ruins. You certainly couldn’t have made it through the trials the way you have." He put his hand on the nape of Daryl’s neck and turned Daryl so that he was looking at him. "You are NOT a demon Daryl Dixon, not now, not ever, do you understand," Luke said forcefully.

 

Daryl nodded, "but I have demon blood in me.” He tried to find a way to explain what was going through his head. “You weren't there Luke and Lori was. She has no reason to lie about it. The fear in her eyes, the torment, I've seen it before,” he shivered at the memories. “I've had it, you've had it, anyone who's ever been tortured by Negan has had it."

 

"Daryl," Luke started but was stopped by Daryl's hand on the side of his face.

 

"We will figure it out, together if you want, but you have to promise me something, Luke.”

 

“What?” the werewolf asked.

 

“Promise me that you will accept the truth when we find it, Luke," Daryl implored.

 

Luke’s heart was breaking for Daryl. He could tell the boy had already accepted what Lori had told him. He reached out and pulled Daryl into a hug and kissed the top of his head. "I promise, but only if you promise to accept the truth when we prove that you are a true child of the Nephilim and not a damn half-blood demon."

 

Daryl nodded as he pulled away and chuckled, "Language," he smirked. "Keep that up and it will be you with a bar of soap in your mouth." Daryl relaxed a bit when he saw Luke laugh. "Do you want me to drive?"

 

"You, drive?" Daryl had never asked to drive before and the question perplexed Luke.

 

"I’m mean I’ve never driven a car or truck but I'm sure I could master it. You know, in case you wanted to hang your head out the window and bark at cats," he teased.

 

Luke growled and reached over smacking Daryl in the back of the head. He started the truck and headed back to the old police station. "Daryl, what you said to Lori, what did it mean?"

 

Daryl laid his head against the window. He was exhausted. "Amor quoque perdere est amari perdere. It’s what my father said to me every day of my life. 'To love is to destroy, to be loved is to be destroyed. It was one of the first lessons I had to learn.” The gentle movement of the truck lulled Daryl to sleep.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

Negan watched from the dark alley as first Daryl and Luke left the grubby looking dinner then Lori and Beth. The plan was coming along nicely, for the most part, except for Daryl. How could one brat cause so much chaos? It was almost like Daryl really was his son, he smiled to himself. Negan had thought for sure that the trial would have broken the kid already but it looked like he would have to come up with another way into Daryl's memories.

 

Daryl was the only one who knew where Will Dixon, Negan’s lieutenant in The Circle until he died several years ago, had hidden the angel they’d held captive so long ago. Negan had known killing Will would cause a commotion; after all not every plan could go as well as the one he'd had for Luke's attack. Negan had no idea that Will had found the angel and hidden it away before he killed him, apparently, even Will had his limits. If he had known he would have left him alive and forced him to watch Hodge cut the brat, from his dead wife's body. Negan sighed in frustration, his patience was waning and if he didn't get what he wanted soon he'd just take the boy and do it his own way.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Luke woke the next day to the smell of coffee and found Daryl sitting in the front office with Abe talking to a young boy who looked to be about ten. Daryl was cleaning a nasty gash on the boy’s neck while Abe questioned him. "What's going on?" Luke asked.

 

"This is Carl," his second in command said motioning to the boy. "He got attacked last night."

 

"By who?" Luke asked. Carl lowered his head and inched closer to Daryl afraid of the two older men.

 

"Another wolf," Daryl answered for him as he tossed the bloody cloth into the wastebasket. "He said he was walking on Letchburg Street when he was jumped by three other werewolves."

 

"Do you know who they were?" Luke asked but again got no answer.

 

Daryl knelt down so that he was in the kid’s line of sight. "Listen, Carl, you can trust Luke he is the pack leader and he will help you."

 

"But we're not supposed to talk to other packs," he whispered.

 

"Who is your pack leader," Luke asked and noticed the boy's shoulders begin to tremble. "Carl what is it?" he knelt down beside Daryl to look at the kid.

 

"T..Tommy b...but he was killed two days ago," Carl sniffled.

 

Abe and Luke looked at each other in shock as they had heard of Tommy. He was known as a very peaceful, kind person who had been willing to help anyone in need. "What about the rest of the pack?"

 

"H..he took Tommy's place." He knew that it was how wolves became alpha's in their packs but there was something bad about this wolf. "I don't want to go back there, please, he's so mean he made them all mean. He killed six other pack members so everyone is afraid of him," Carl begged.

 

"You are welcome here, Carl," Luke soothed. "You can stay here as long as you want."

 

Daryl stood up, "Come on, let’s get you something clean to put on and some food."

 

Carl stood and followed him. "Are you a werewolf too?" the young boy asked as he looked up at Daryl.

 

Luke heard Daryl laugh as they walked down the hall. He turned to Abe, "We need to find out who this new Alpha is."

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

It took a lot of persuading but Daryl finally talked Luke into letting him go out and search for the new Alpha with the pack that night. He was with Tara, Sam, Kara and Conner on the east side while Luke and his group searched the north side.

 

"Wait," Tara held out her hand, her hair standing up. "There's something down there," pointing to the backlot of some sort of loading zone in a big storage building. "Damn it wait!" She shouted as Daryl ran toward the area. "Luke's going to kill me," she growled as they chased him.

 

"Gabriel," Daryl shouted making his Nephilim blade flame to life in one hand and the shout of "Michael" awoke the other. Daryl made short work of the first few wolves and discovered they were attacking one of their own, a smaller, weaker one. The others caught up and started scuffling but the mean wolves were vicious, in a way that Daryl had only heard of in stories as a child and was tossing Luke’s wolves aside as if they were nothing.

 

He managed to get the young one safely on a platform behind him before hearing Tara cry out in pain. The dark wolf had her pinned to the ground his teeth clamped around her neck. Daryl struck it causing it to roll to the side. He saw the one on the ground and the one to his right but he didn't notice the one at his back as it leaped on top of him tearing at his shoulder as its paw swiped painfully across his stomach. Daryl had forgotten about the restraining ruin and was not able to fight at full force. He saw the wolf's eyes as it lifted its head, mouth open, canines dripping blood and drool just as it started to snap at him then suddenly it was gone with a shuddering yelp and cry. He looked over and saw Luke in full werewolf form snarling and pinning the other wolf to the ground, teeth sunk in its throat. You could see the power and the alpha-ness rolling off of Luke as all the other wolves lowered themselves to the ground in a show of submission.

 

Daryl had never really witnessed the changing of a pack back into human form before and he had to admit it wasn't very appealing. A bunch of sweaty, naked people writhing, skin crawling and shifting back to normal. Some of the pack had followed in cars and trucks with clothes and supplies and begin passing them out. Abe was tying up the man that had caused the attack. Daryl suddenly remembered the kid and climbed up on the platform to see about him umm her he realized as he approached. She was back in human form and had her legs pulled up to her chest trembling and crying. "Are you ok?" he knelt down, pulled off his shirt and put it around her. It was torn and bloody but it would help until something else could be found.

 

"Y..you saved me," she looked up at him with bright blue eyes. Before he knew what was happening she leaped toward him and clung tightly to him. "Are you an Angel? My mommy told me about angels. She said they were real. I bet you are! You're my angel," she said, excitedly.

 

"What’s your name?" Daryl asked stroking her dirty blond hair. He didn’t like the praise but she was a child so he didn’t say anything.

 

"Judith."

 

"Where is your mommy, Judith?"

 

She cried and clung tighter to him, "She was killed. The mean man he, he” she buried her little face against Daryl’s chest.

 

"Shh, it's ok. Let’s get you somewhere warm." Daryl stood, lifting her into his arms and carried her over to where Luke and Abe were. "This is Judith," he smiled. "Judith," he bounced her so that she would look up, "This is Abe and Luke."

 

Abe tried to take her and she screamed and wrapped her arms and legs around Daryl. "No! I stay with my angel! My Angel!" Daryl shushed her and took the blanket Tara had and wrapped it around the little girl.

 

"Judith how old are you, sweetheart," Luke asked softly, kindly.

 

"Six," was the muffled reply from Daryl's shoulder.

 

The ride back to the old station was quiet but as soon as they were inside it was like the entire pack started talking at once. It made Daryl's head throb. He had finally been able to give Judith to Tara so she could get cleaned up but he had to promise he would come check on her as soon as he could.

 

Daryl hadn't realized that he'd been injured until he got in the shower and noticed the water running off of him was red. He had a set of claw marks across his stomach and side as well as some puncture wounds in his shoulder but it was nothing a healing ruin couldn't fix……. except he didn't have a stele anymore did he? Damn it.

 

He finished his shower put on some clean pants knowing he had to show Luke what happened or he'd be in trouble. He stepped out of the bathroom into the bedroom and Luke was sitting on the bed looking rather unhappy. "I was just coming to find you."

 

"What the hell were you thinking running into a pack like that Daryl? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Luke growled.

 

Daryl fidgeted, "I forgot about the ruin of restraint. I just needed to get back into the fight."

 

"So you leave the backup that I sent with you to take them all on by yourself? Didn't we talk about what would happen if you put yourself in unnecessary danger?"

 

His eyes got wide, "But I was just helping!"

 

"No, you were reckless," Luke corrected.

 

"But it's what I do! I'm a Shadowhunter for Angel's sake!"

 

Luke grabbed Daryl’s wrist and pulled the boy toward him. "So was I Daryl but we never went in without backup! You never think of what will happen to yourself! How badly you could be hurt! Do you even care?"

 

"No," Daryl answered honestly like it was the most normal answer in the world.

 

Luke flinched like he'd been slapped. "Do you care if I get hurt?"

 

"What? Of course! I would protect you with my life." Daryl was angry that Luke would even ask that.

 

"Every time you put yourself in danger, every time you put your life in danger needlessly, it hurts me!" He yanked Daryl down over his lap making quick work of the sweats he'd just put on and began spanking him in earnest. "You will think before you act Daryl. You will STOP trying to throw away your life and stop putting others before your own safety!" Luke was angry, the werewolf strength was coming through in the swats and Daryl was already squirming. When Daryl put his hands back to try to protect his back side Luke was so done. Luke took both of the wrists into one of his hands and hitched them up his back so that Daryl’s body was bowed and went to work on the sit spots.

 

"Luke, please! I'm sorry," he whined. He really hadn't expected to be spanked or for Luke to react like this just because he'd gotten into a fight. It wasn't like he hurt someone Luke loved like Rick or Beth or anything. He was doing what he had always been taught; fighting to protect others no matter what the cost to himself. Daryl couldn't stop the sobbing now, his ass was on fire. He'd never been spanked like this.

 

When Luke heard Daryl sobbing that he was sorry and that he didn't know he was doing anything wrong Luke growled and lifted his knee so that the now red sit spots and thighs were even more exposed. Every word was emphasized with a smack just to be sure they were understood. "You. Will. Never. Put. Your. Life. In. Danger. So. Recklessly. Again. Daryl. Dixon. Your. Life. Is. Important. More. Than. Most! Your. Life. Is. Worth. Something! And. You. Will. Never. Disregard. It. Again!" He finished with two hard smacks to the back of the boy’s thighs before letting the now limp arms drop to the bed.

 

Luke stood, setting Daryl on his feet at the same time. Hearing Daryl whimper between sobs and then trying to hug him nearly broke Luke’s heart but he led him to the corner of the room and stood him there. "If you move Daryl I will do this all over again only with a belt. Do you understand?"

 

 

 

"Y..yes S..sirr," Daryl cried, pressing close to the wall. When he heard Luke leave the room he thought his heart was going to pound out of his chest. He must have really done bad this time because Luke wasn't even offering him any comfort.

 

Abe and Tara looked up as Luke stomped through the office going to the medical supply cabinet. "Need help?" Tara asked. He didn't respond just kept slamming things around.

 

"You need to put the boy on a leash," Conner said from the right of the cabinet. "He's going to get someone killed."

 

Abe didn't have time to move before Luke was on Conner slamming him into the wall with his hand around Conner’s throat squeezing so tight that Conner’s face was turning red. "You and Kara were the oldest in the group Conner! You should have taken charge and stopped it! The only person here who needs to be on a leash is you!" Luke leaned in, as close to Conner’s face as he could, "If you don't check your attitude I may just neuter you myself," Luke growled before shoving away from him.

 

Luke turned to Abe, "No one questions the prisoner until I'm ready." At Abe's nod, he grabbed his first aid supplies and went back to his room.

 

Daryl was shaking so hard Luke was afraid he was going into shock. "Daryl," he gripped the boy’s shoulder and spun him around. Daryl’s arms were folded over his chest, fists clenched and tears still streaming down his face.

 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you so badly," Daryl hiccupped. "Please don't be mad at me," he pleaded. "I can't, I just can't," he stumbled over his words. "Can't lose you too Luke, please." The werewolf was the only stable thing he had in his life, the only person that gave a damn about him. Daryl fell to his knees and curled up trying to get as close to Luke as he could without touching him.

 

Luke was speechless, frozen in place for a moment at Daryl’s words. He hadn't realized Daryl's feelings for him were as strong as his were for Daryl. He just assumed that he was allowing Luke in because he had no one else right now. Taking Daryl by the arms he pulled him back to his feet and into an embrace. "Daryl, shhh" he soothed leading him over to a recliner. He sat down and motioned for Daryl to sit. Before Luke was finished with the motion Daryl was already there paying no attention to the abrading materials touching his very red, heated backside. "You will never lose me, kid. I'm not going anywhere." He held him and rubbed his back. Luke felt terrible for not realizing Daryl craved and needed the comfort after a punishment or that the boy was as lost as he was.

 

"But you’re angry with me, angrier than I've ever seen you," Daryl sniffled.

 

"Damn right I am, but that doesn't mean I'm going to throw you away kid." He cringed realizing that was exactly what Daryl thought was going to happen. It was what Daryl had been taught by Negan, all his life. He was starting to understand why the Silent Brothers and the Iron Sisters delved so deep into Daryl's personal childhood; so that he would know how to take care of him. "You have a lot to learn about life Daryl. Not about fighting or about hunting but about family and allowing yourself to be loved and cared for."

 

Daryl was still hiccupping but the tears were calming some, "what if you get tired of teaching me?"

 

"I won't," he smiled. "Your ass may get tired of it but I won't stop until I'm positive you understand it all." He laughed when Daryl whimpered and self-consciously rubbed his bottom. "You were coming to find me when you got out of the shower earlier; why?"

 

He buried his head deeper against Luke's chest. "To tell you I got injured. It’s a rule."

 

Luke ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. "You're right, it is."

 

"You're not going to spank me because I didn't get to tell you, are you?" he tensed.

 

"No," Luke smiled. "But I am going to dress the cuts. The claw marks are pretty deep. Sit up for me."

 

Grudgingly Daryl complied and they both got to their feet. He leaned against the dresser while Luke put ointment on the gashes then wrapped them with gauze. "Ow," he hissed.

 

"I'm going to wrap this with an elastic band because the more you move the more it's going to keep ripping open. Since you can’t use a healing rune, I want you to take it easy for a few days so they can heal. Understand?"

 

"Yes sir," Daryl nodded. It really did feel better with the elastic on it.

 

When he was done Luke lifted Daryl's chin so that he was looking at him. "I'm not leaving you, Daryl. Do you understand?" The nod was faint but it was there. "Say it. Tell me that I'm not leaving you. I want to hear it from you."

 

"You’re not leaving," barely above a whisper.

 

"I didn't hear you," he reached and touched the still hot backside in warning.

 

Daryl's body went rigid, "You're not leaving me!"

 

He smiled, "that's better. Now into bed," he pulled the blanket back helping Daryl to lay on his stomach. He couldn't help but smirk when the kid whimpered at the soft blanket being pulled over his swollen bottom. Luke didn't bother asking if he wanted him too, he just laid down next to the Nephilim, as much for his own comfort as the boy’s, and soon they were both asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Luke's body tensed when he heard the door to his room creak open and Daryl cry out in pain as something pounced on him. He quickly snapped a light on to find Judith sitting on top of Daryl's stomach poking him in the chest with her tiny finger. "You promised!"

 

"Huh?" was about all the eloquence that Daryl could muster having been painfully jarred from his sleep. "Judith?"

 

"You promised that you would come get me," she pouted.

 

"I'm sorry I.."

 

Luke laughed out loud as Daryl blushed not wanting to tell the little girl that he'd gotten in trouble. "Daryl was going to come and find you but he was hurt so I made him lie down and rest for a while." Daryl looked at Luke, gratefully. "Are you hurt?" he asked the little girl.

 

She lifted her pajama legs one at a time and showed them her scraped knees then a big bruise on her tummy. "It doesn't hurt much though ‘cause I'm brave!"

 

They both laughed. "You are very brave," Daryl nodded.

 

"Why were you alone last night, Judith? Where was your pack?" Luke asked.

 

"What's a pack?" she asked, confused.

 

"Your family sweetie," Luke explained.

 

She shrugged her tiny shoulders and played with the blanket. Daryl scooted himself up against the pillows with a hiss as his sore backside rubbed against the sheet and from the pull on the claw marks on his side. Carefully gathering the little girl into his arms so that she was resting against his chest, "You told me that your mommy was killed by the bad man." She nodded and sniffled. “Was she a wolf like you too?"

 

Luke and Daryl both knew that turning young children was against every law known to exist, especially a six year old. "Was everyone in your family a werewolf?" Luke inquired.

 

"No." Judith was playing absently with Daryl's necklace as she spoke. "I really only remember my mommy a little then the bad man. I never been a wolf before last night when he chased me."

 

"Why was the bad man chasing you?" Daryl asked. She shrugged again. He looked over at Luke unsure of what to do or even say. Something wasn't right about this child, he could feel it.

 

"Maybe we can go to your house later today and get some of your things to make you a little more comfortable," Luke suggested.

 

She looked up at him, her eyes so bright blue that they were almost entrancing. "I don't know where I live."

 

Daryl tried to break the tension in the air. "Then we will go to the store and get you new stuff," he tickled her. Judith giggled and squealed with laughter slipping off of Daryl’s chest and in between the two of them. They both tickled her for a while making her smile before Luke stood, "I'll be back later. Both of you get some rest," he looked pointedly at Daryl as he tucked them both back under the covers.

 

Judith reached up and grabbed his hand, "No. Stay," she tugged at him.

 

Daryl smirked, "you heard the lady; stay."

 

Luke shook his head but complied, laying back down with her curled up between them. He placed a soft kiss on both of their heads as they fell asleep.

 

When Daryl opened his eyes again the sun was shining brightly through the curtains. He slipped out of bed and got dressed before waking Judith, "Hey sleepy head." He couldn't help but laugh when she yawned and stretched. After lifting her out of bed and spinning her around for a moment, Daryl carried her down the hall to Tara's room. "I will be in the office with Luke. When you're dressed come find me and we will go shopping."

 

"Kay," she bounced and headed toward Tara then turned and ran back to him tugging his arm until he bent down. When he did she kissed his cheek before bouncing away again.

 

Luke and Abe were talking when Daryl walked in. He didn’t say anything, just sat some bandages and supplies in front of in front of Luke. The werewolf had to fight not to laugh at his seconds' stunned expression when Daryl didn't interrupt their conversation. "We are going to get some supplies for Judith and Carl so they will feel a little more comfortable," Luke told Abe as he stood and tugged on the hem of Daryl's shirt. Luke was very pleased that Daryl complied without a word.

 

"Damn," Abe cringed when he saw the gashes. "I didn't realize you were injured. I should have checked in the alley. I guess I'm just used to you Nephilim healing yourselves."

 

Daryl shrugged, "Luke fixed it. Ow!" He yelped as the gauze was peeled away. "Fuck!"

 

Abe snorted with laughter and Luke popped Daryl on the back of the head. "Language," he warned halfheartedly. "You may be a Nephilim warrior but you're still fifteen years old."

 

"Sorry," he blushed from behind the curtain of his hair.

 

"Fifteen?" Abe was stunned. He'd thought the boy was twenty.

 

"Yes," Luke said putting the elastic band back on Daryl's ribs. "The Nephilim start young now days especially under the Lightwood’s care." He saw Daryl look up at him but before he could say anything Judith came running in.

 

"Angel!" she squealed and jumped in Daryl's arms, giggling. "We go shopping now?"

 

He laughed, "You have to ask Luke if he's ready."

 

She turned her head, blond pigtails swinging and looked at Luke. "We go now?" all innocent eyes and pouty lips.

 

"Yeah," Daryl joined in, giving him the same face.

 

He rolled his eyes and threw Daryl's shirt at his head, "Go get Carl and meet me at the truck."

 

They spent a few hours at the mall buying the kids some new clothes. Carl was starting to loosen up a bit and laugh. "Why don't you take Judith to the toy store and I will take Carl to Game Stop," Daryl suggested and Carl's eyes lit up.

 

"Ok let’s meet at the pizza place in thirty minutes for lunch," Luke agreed.

 

Daryl put his hand on Carl's shoulder and led him into the game store. They spent awhile talking about their favorite games and systems. Daryl had played on the Lightwood’s x-box and Carl had a PlayStation at home before they moved. He watched as Carl touched some of the game boxes and talked about how fun they were to play. While he was looking at the new game releases Daryl went to the counter and spoke with the cashier she smiled and loaded some stuff in a bag before swiping his credit card. Carl never saw him. "We need to head to the pizza place," Daryl smiled leading the boy away from the games. "Luke and Judith will be waiting."

 

Meanwhile, Judith was talking a mile a minute about all the pretty dolls and stuffed animals. "Can we go there? Can we Luke? Please?" she bounced pointing at build a bear workshop.

 

He sighed but smiled, "Sure." Inside there were a hundred different kinds of animals to make. He'd never seen anything like it. A sales lady approached and was telling them the process of making a personal animal.

 

Judith turned those little blue eyes on him and he knew he was in trouble. "Can I have two Luke? Please?"

 

He really tried to say no but in the end, you can't fight the puppy dog eyes. "Fine, which two?"

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

After lunch, they loaded the bags in the truck and headed back to the station. Judith was happily jabbering about their shopping trip and much to Luke's surprise, so was Carl. Carl had fun hanging out with Daryl. They carried the bags in and took both kids back to their private room. Daryl sat the bags down on the bed and winced.

 

"What's wrong?" Luke asked.

 

"Just moved wrong I think." Daryl sat down in the recliner and took a box out of the GameStop bag before handing the bag to Carl. "I think Luke might let you hook that up to his TV if you ask him nicely."

 

Carl looked in the bag and jumped to his feet hugging Daryl. "Can I Luke? Can we play on your TV?"

 

"Of course," Luke looked at the game system then back at Daryl knowing how expensive they were.

 

Daryl motioned for Judith to come to him and she ran over. "I got something for you too, little bit." He held out a handheld PSP with a couple of games. She took them and ran over to show them to Luke excitedly.

 

Daryl's side was hurting so he leaned back trying to get his muscles to relax when Judith bounded over and plopped a bag in his lap. "What's this?"

 

"For my angel," she smiled climbing onto his knees. "Open it." He didn't move fast enough for her so she opened it herself and handed it to him. It was a fuzzy white teddy bear with a shiny black nose and blue eyes. She pointed at its chest, "Your wings are in there."

 

"My wings?" Daryl asked, tears stinging his eyes.

 

She nodded, "Uh huh, cause you're my angel; ‘member?"

 

He gave her a big hug and kissed her head. "Thank you." She smiled, climbed off his lap and ran over to play with Carl.

 

Luke came over and pulled him to his feet. "Let me see," pointing to his ribs. Daryl took his shirt off and Luke unrolled the elastic to see if he was bleeding.

 

"I think I just moved around too much. I'm not used to being a mundane and not being able to heal." Daryl sucked in a hard breath when Luke poked a sore spot.

 

"You are not a mundane," he warned.

 

"We both know I will be when this trial is over. I'm just getting a head start."

 

Luke grabbed Daryl's arm and whispered so the kids couldn't hear. "You are NOT going to be stripped of being a hunter Daryl, so stop it." He rewrapped Daryl’s torso then handed him a shopping bag. "I thought you could use this."

 

Daryl opened the bag and was speechless. Inside was a beautiful leather jacket with silver zippers and chains. "Luke I.." tears welled in his eyes as he put it on. Daryl was completely enamored with it, stroking the soft material. "It's perfect, thank you." He enveloped Luke in a hug squeezing him tight, trying to convey how he felt through the touch.

 

Luke hadn't expected that reaction from the jacket. Sure he knew he would be grateful, but Daryl acted like it was the nicest thing he'd ever been given. He held Daryl for a moment just soaking it in before gently pushing him back a bit. "I want you to lay down for a while Daryl and rest your ribs. The kids can stay if you want but I do expect you to rest.

 

He hung his new jacket up and laid down on the bed as he was told. Luke started to walk out of the room when Daryl spoke. "I.. I'm kind of tired."

 

"You're all safe here. You don't need to stand guard Daryl. I'll make sure that someone checks on you until I get back," he ruffled his hair before heading out the door.

 

Having a police station as a home sometimes is very useful; the interrogation rooms for instance. Luke sat down across the table from the chained man he had captured last night. The man was back in his human form and was not happy to have been kept waiting so long. Luke begin to try and extract the information they needed. "What's your name?"

 

"Nothing you need to know," the man snarked.

 

"Who is your pack leader?"

 

"You'll find out soon enough old man. He's coming for you and your brat. Gonna take what's his," the prisoner laughed, maniacally.

 

Luke stiffened and clenched his fists, "I would be careful who I threatened if I were you boy. Why were you trying to kill the little girl?"

 

"Was hungry," he growled, "but now I have a taste for a new kind of blood. I want the Nephilim." He licked his lips and leaned over the table as far as he could towards Luke. "I'm going to pin him down and take the last of his innocence while you watch then I'm going to rip his heart out and use it to raise the Angel!"

 

Luke watched as the man before him seemed to transform but he wasn’t changing to wolf form. His features flipped between the prisoner and Negan. Luke jumped from his chair, grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall. "Leave him alone Negan! I will not let you near him!"

 

 

 

Negan laughed, his projected image flickering. The dark magic he was using was draining him quickly. "You couldn't save yourself from the wolves Lucian how do you expect to save the boy?" Negan's projection got so close to Luke he swore that he could feel his breath on his cheek. "I'll make you watch when I take the only true innocence has left then I'll succeed in raising the angel like I would have done years ago if not for your and Lori's betrayals." The projection vanished and the prisoner fell to the floor dead.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The tires squealed as the old truck skidded to a stop in front of the institute nearly slamming Daryl into the dashboard. "Luke, please calm down." Daryl didn't have time to say anything else because he was being dragged out of the truck and into the institute. He was trying the best he could to make sense of Luke’s worried rantings. "Negan was really there?"

 

"He was projecting but he knows where we are," Luke said as he was barging through the halls fast enough that Church the cat squalled and took off running. "He's not going to stop until he gets what he wants."

 

"What does he want," Daryl asked, grabbing Luke's arm and pulling him to a stop.

 

"You Daryl! He wants your blood to perform a ritual to bring back the Angel Raziel so he can control the Clave."

 

"He could use any blood for that. Why would he come after me?" Daryl didn’t understand.

 

Luke wanted to scream at Daryl until he believed how special, even in the world of Shadowhunters, he was, to make him see how important he was to the survival of the very thing they believed in so much but what come out was the most honest, painful answer Luke could give him. "To punish the one who betrayed him most of all!"

 

"Beth! We have to get her and Lori here to keep them safe!" Daryl started to panic himself. He didn’t realize that Luke was talking about him.

 

Luke took a deep breath to steady himself. How could he tell Daryl that Negan wanted to kill him to punish Luke? Negan felt Luke's betrayal more than anyone else's because they had been parabatai. Negan had loved Lori and saw her as a great experiment for his new powers but, it was Luke he had intended to have at his side when he ruled the Shadowhunter world. It was Luke's betrayal that caused Negan to come between Luke’s sister Amatis and William Dixon. His sister’s misery was meant to punish Luke and now Negan meant to destroy Daryl as punishment as well. Luke didn't know how to explain that to the boy or anyone else, or how to convince Daryl that Beth was safe that it was him who was in danger. "Daryl please," he took him by the shoulders, "let me speak to the silent brothers, to the Clave and I will send someone for Beth and her mother."

 

Daryl watched Luke take off down the hallway wondering what in the hell was going on. He had to fix this, to make sure Beth was safe even if Luke was distracted. He went to the weapons room and started loading up.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

He stiffened, "There is something I have to take care of."

 

"Daryl.."

 

"Don't Shane, you made your feelings clear last time we spoke. I'm not here to cause trouble," he shoved a Nephilim blade into his belt. He felt Shane's hand on his shoulder spinning him around so that Daryl was looking at him. He was about to fire off a remark when he noticed how bad Shane looked. "What's wrong?"

 

Shane cringed, even after the way he had treated Daryl he could still see the concern in his eyes. "I miss my parabatai. I feel like I've lost part of my soul." Shane didn't try to hide the sadness in his voice. "Our parents have made mistakes Daryl, a lot of them and I let their ideas influence me in ways that I am ashamed of. I knew you weren't evil that you weren't a demon but I also knew how scared my parents were of Negan and how evil he is and it scared me. I wanted to defend you, to tell them that you were nothing like that but I didn't." Several seconds passed in silence and Shane knew in his mind that Daryl couldn't forgive him; hell he didn't blame him.

 

Frozen and stunned was the only description Daryl could use of himself as Shane spoke. Had Shane really missed him as much as he'd missed Shane? The boy looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in a week and he had new runes on his arms that looked deep and painful. He hadn't realized that Shane had stopped speaking until he started walking away. "Parabatai!" As soon as the word’s left Daryl’s mouth and Shane turned back to him and smiled as he pulled him into a crushing hug.

 

"It’s about time you two got your heads out of your asses," Maggie said from the door before hugging them both. All three of them reveled in the moment of just feeling complete again; like a family. Maggie reached around and touched the blade on Daryl’s back. "Going somewhere little brother?"

 

He nodded, "I have to get Beth and her mom here before Negan gets them. He's on a rampage and Luke is trying to get the Clave to do something about it. When I get back maybe we can hang out or something," he said lamely, trying to find an excuse to spend time with them again.

 

"Uh huh," Maggie nodded, sarcastically.

 

"Yep," Shane rolled his eyes and both of them started out the door leaving Daryl standing. "Like we would let you go alone parabatai." Daryl smiled and ran to catch up with them.

 

They spent the walk to Beth's apartment talking about things that had been going on. "You look bad Daryl," Shane said carefully.

 

"You're just jealous," Daryl pushed Shane playfully and laughed. "I am unbelievably gorgeous and you look like the walking dead." Everyone chuckled as they headed inside the building.

 

Lori sighed and put the dish back in the sink when she heard the knock. Wiping her hands on the dish towel she opened the door. "Daryl?" she was shocked to see him.

 

"Daryl?" Beth yelled as she came running out of her room, Rick in tow. "What are you doing here?"

 

"Something's up," he looked at Lori "Luke sent me to bring you both back to the institute for awhile." It wasn't technically a lie, he said he would send someone.

 

"But I have a date later," Beth protested. "You go on and I'll meet you there, after."

 

"No," Daryl said firmly.

 

"Excuse me?" Beth asked, eyebrows raised.

 

"I think you should listen to him," Rick added. She spun around and glared at him.

 

"Since when do you agree with Daryl?" she huffed.

 

"Since he's the only one who makes sense anymore," Rick snapped angrily.

 

Maggie arched her brow as Lori just sighed. "What's going on?" she asked Daryl, not know anything about Beth dating someone else.

 

"Since she's been dating Milton Mamet the poet, she's lost her damn mind," Rick growled. A murmur of what and who came from Shane and Maggie but they were ignored. "All she does is Milton Mamet!"

 

Daryl didn't miss the innuendo and flinched. Was Beth sleeping with Milton Mamet? "Luke says it's important and you will come with us," he insisted. He wasn’t going to give in on this.

 

Lori knew from Daryl's body language that it was urgent and she assumed it had to do with Negan. "Get some things together Beth, now," she cut her daughter off before she could argue. Needless to say, the walk back to the institute was very tense especially since Daryl insisted Rick come along. He didn't want to take a chance in the vampire getting used as bait. It was clear that things were not great between Rick and Beth anymore.

 

Rick saw Daryl watching as Beth and Maggie talked as Beth animatedly explained the date she was missing tonight. He slowed his pace so that he was walking next to Daryl and Shane. "How long has she been dating someone else?" Shane asked, stunned.

 

Daryl shrugged and Rick sighed before saying, "Since her mom told her incest wasn't the way to go." Daryl and Shane both glared at him. "What?" Rick asked, attempting an innocent look that caused Daryl to actually smirk. "Something just isn't right with Milton Mamet," the vampire huffed.

 

"Like it wasn't right with me when I was who she wanted?" Daryl arched a sculpted brow.

 

"No," Rick huffed. "You were just a dick and I don't like you, but Milton Mamet," he paused, "he won't let me near him and he does everything he can to keep Beth away from me."

 

"So he does have good taste then," Daryl teased.

 

Rick was about to retort when they saw Beth take off into the coffee shop, Lori yelling at her to stop. "Damn it," Shane growled as they all went in after her. Weird didn't even cover what was going on in that place. Everyone was motionless except Milton Mamet, who was up on stage reading a God awful poem.

 

Daryl's skin began to crawl and he felt like his stomach just fell through an open pit. Something bad was about to happen. "Lori get Beth to Luke now!" The words had just left his mouth when all hell broke loose and the 'people' morphed into demons. The Nephilim and the Vampire fought as if they had never been apart, whip flying and blades gleaming as they took out each demon, Daryl holding his own even with the rune of restraint.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Andrea heard Beth and Lori before she saw them as they came running into the library. Everyone jumped to their feet. "The kids," Lori panted. "Demons at the coffee shop. They need back up."

 

"They are going to kill Milton," Beth sobbed.

 

As soon as Lori explained what was happening the adults all gathered supplies and headed to the coffee shop to help the kids.

 

Edwin, Andrea, Luke and four other clave members arrived at the coffee shop in record time to find chaos. Shane was lying in a heap against the coffee bar, Maggie was beheading a demon on a pool table, Rick was ripping the throat from another by the stage, and Daryl was flying through the air crashing through a glass counter after being tossed by a greater demon like he was a rag doll.

 

The Nephilim moved with a liquid precision that would have put anyone in awe. It had been years since they blooded a blade together but they hadn't lost a step, blades arcing in blue flames that looked like music dancing on the air. Thinking all of them were dead Edwin rushed over to Shane and knelt down to check on him. Edwin never heard anything he only felt the air of a blade rushing behind him as the head of the greater demon lolled to the floor. He jumped to his feet in time to catch Daryl who passed out from his injuries.


	7. Chapter 7

Edwin Lightwood was sitting at his son’s bedside in the healing wing. They had gotten the kids back to the institute quickly and got to work treating injuries. Maggie had sprained her ankle but had no life-threatening wounds thank the Angel. Once she was treated Andrea took her up to rest. Rick was pretty bruised and cut up but his vampire healing would take care of his wounds. He was in a deep healing sleep. Shane was still unconscious from a head wound and had several cuts and bruises. His condition was serious but he seemed to be responding to the healing ruin. Daryl was also seriously injured. His skin was nothing but cuts and bruises from the glass he’d been thrown through, his leg was broken as were three ribs and then the demon bites he sustained were poisoning his blood. All three boys were in the hall of healing, their bed's side by side just like they would want it.

 

Edwin watched Luke as he fidgeted nervously next to Daryl. As they were undressing the boys, checking their wounds, Edwin had seen the red backside that meant Luke had spanked him recently. "He's not as good a kid as you thought is he?"

 

"What?" Luke asked as his head snapped toward Edwin.

 

Edwin put his hands up attempting to calm Luke’s ire. "All I meant was that Daryl's always in trouble and never listens, as his red behind can attest to."

 

Luke was trying to remain calm because they needed the safety of the institute right now otherwise he’d tell Edwin Lightwood just what he thought of him and his opinions. "He is a kid and yes he can get himself into trouble but nothing like he does around you people," he sneered.

 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Edwin bit back.

 

To hell with it, Luke thought. "It means you took your anger out on a kid because he reminded you of Negan and what we'd done!"

 

"Is that what he told you?" Edwin demanded. "Insolent little bastard! After all, we've done for him."

 

"He didn't tell me anything," Luke growled, "he didn't have to! I know you, Edwin! You let Negan throw me to the wolves, literally, because I didn't agree with you about how to deal with him! You were so damn set in your ways that you didn't want to hear anything Lori or I had to say, just like no matter what Daryl tries to tell you, you only hear what you want."

 

Rick was pulled from his sleep by all the yelling. He lay there watching the Nephilim and the wolf argue, his eyes moving from side to side like he was watching a tennis match. He had no idea what they were talking about but they both seemed pissed and it revolved around Daryl. He’d seen the scars on Daryl’s body as they had undressed him and Rick just assumed they were from battles. Perhaps they were from something even worse.

 

Edwin took a calming breath as he pondered what Luke was saying and as much as it hurt, the truth was, he was right. "I'll admit I was hard on him, tried to make sure that he wouldn't be like his father, but I never hurt him, Lucian."

 

"Never hurt him?" Luke asked incredulously. "You know what he learned from you, Edwin? He learned that his life means nothing, that everything that is wrong in this world is his fault somehow! He knows if one of your children gets hurt, it's automatically his fault and he has to be punished. That no matter what he does it's never enough to please you! He saved Shane and you still whipped the skin off of him! Every time he trained, every battle he won you punished him for not being good enough." Luke was pacing at this point, afraid if he didn’t do something he would hit the man. "Did it help Edwin? Do you and Andrea feel better since you broke him? Does his fucking pain ease yours?" He was out of breath and his skin was twitching, he had to get his anger under control before he shifted. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to control the wolf.

 

Edwin took each word like a blow to the body because there was some truth to it. He was as much a monster as Negan in some ways. He hadn't meant to be but it seemed like his anger wasn't as under control as he thought it was. Edwin gave Luke a moment to calm down before he spoke again. "I didn't mean to treat him that way. I just didn't want him to turn out like his father. We thought if we were strict with him that, if he had more discipline in his life he'd have a better chance. He is a great warrior and he's very disciplined, you have to admit that, so he turned out alright."

 

Luke sank down in a chair next to Daryl's bed with a humorless laugh. "Congratulations Edwin, you've made a self-depreciating robot who has no self-worth and wouldn't know love if it bit him in the ass. I know you're so proud." Sarcasm dripped from every word.

 

"Don't be so damn self-righteous Lucian!” Edwin snapped. You've disciplined him yourself!"

 

"Yeah, I have and will have to do so for many times to come I'm sure, but do you know why I punish him? Because he is ready to kill himself without thought, to give his life without question and will hurt himself if he doesn't feel like he should have survived the situation." Both men jumped when Daryl stirred in his bed. Luke reached up and brushed the hair back out of his eyes.

 

"Shane," Daryl struggled to be set up only to be restrained by Luke's big hand on his chest. "Maggie?"

 

"Maggie is ok," Edwin's voice boomed as he approached, "Shane is responding to treatment, as are you."

 

A tremble swept through Daryl when the older hunter stood next to his bed. "I..I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen," he apologized guiltily. He knew he was going to be punished, deserved to be but he didn't know if he could take anymore right now or not.

 

Luke saw the conflict and fear in Daryl’s eyes and took his hand. "Are you hurting?"

 

"I..umm.." he looked from one man to the other, unsure what to say. On one hand, if he told the truth, that he was hurt and scared, Edwin would punish him harder. If he lied and said he was fine, Luke would punish him. What was he supposed to do? Which one should he let down? He was so confused and his head was pounding. He felt blood drip from his nose and saw Luke grab a towel.

 

"Daryl," he gasped as he held the cloth to his nose to try and stop the blood. It looked like Daryl was having a full on panic attack while looking between himself and Edwin. The boy was breathing in gasps and was shaking all over. "Get me a washcloth," Luke ordered Edwin then he sat Daryl up and climbed on the bed behind him.

 

Edwin got a cloth and wet it then turned to hand the cloth to Luke and saw him on the bed, Daryl between his legs cradled to his chest. He was stroking the boy’s hair speaking soothing, soft words while rocking him. "What's wrong with him," Edwin asked, handing him the clean cloth and tossing the bloody one aside.

 

"He's scared," Shane moaned, the pain in his voice tangible. He’d woke up a few seconds earlier. He tried to get up and go to his friend.

 

"Of what?" Edwin asked, trying to force his son to lie still and failing. Edwin threw his hands up in the air and sighed as Shane stood and practically fell on top of Daryl and Luke causing both boys to cry out in pain and Luke's breath to whoosh out of his body.

 

"Shane!" Luke cried out grabbing for him so he wouldn't fall to the floor.

 

Somehow Shane managed to get in the position he wanted He put his arm around Daryl's side and pressed close to his back, his head resting on Luke's shoulder." He’s scared of you dad. He knows what always happens when one of us gets hurt!"

 

"How do.." Edwin started to ask.

 

"How do I know?" he cut his dad off. "Who do you think helped clean him up, dad? Or did you expect him to do it himself?" Shane got no response and he glared at his father. "You know he used to beg me not to help him because was afraid you would catch us and I would get in trouble. He kept telling me that you expected him to get himself cleaned up but I told him that wasn’t true. I was convinced that you knew I was helping him because he wouldn’t have been comfortable with anyone else seeing him like that. I was wrong, wasn’t I?” Edwin couldn’t meet his son’s eyes. He had thought they kept that hidden from their own children. “When we were little I'd hold him while he cried but after a while he just never cried again, started telling me that he deserved what he got."

 

Edwin started to speak again but Luke stopped him. "Enough, both of you. This isn't helping anyone right now. What's in the past is the past and he will never be treated that way again." Luke tossed the cloth aside and checked to make sure Daryl's nose had stopped bleeding.

 

"I'm sorry," Daryl said softly. "I didn't mean to get anyone hurt. I shouldn't have let Shane and Maggie go with me. Whatever Edwin wants to do I know I’ve earned but I .. I would prefer Luke to do the physical punishment." He blushed at his own confession and tried to hide his burning face. When Luke punished him it hurt but he still knew the wolf cared about it.

 

Rick could hear the fear in Daryl’s voice as well as the pounding of his heart and a distinct smell of distress. He got to his feet and shakily walked the few feet over to the bed where the others were. They all looked at him questioningly but he just laid down in front of Daryl, mirroring Shane’s position from behind. Luke groaned and tried to adjust to hold the weight of the three boys. “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

 

"Why did you go after Beth?" Luke asked.

 

"Cause you said Negan wanted to hurt her," Daryl said as if it should have been obvious.

 

"I said I would send someone for them," he said firmly causing Daryl to tense. "I also told you Negan was after you too didn't I?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"And you went anyway."

 

Daryl was in so much trouble and he knew it. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you Luke but I wasn't going to let her get hurt just because I was in danger too. No one you sent could have taken on the demons we did tonight and you know as well as I do she wouldn't have listened to anyone besides me or you. She wouldn’t even listen to Rick and her mom."

 

Luke knew what Daryl said was true. Beth was a handful on a good day and the boy was hurt badly as it was. "Well, you can think your parabatai and the vampire for saving your ass tonight."

 

"I.. I didn't," Shane said, confused. "He saved dad’s ass though."

 

Luke chuckled at that. "And you saved his because you’re covering his ass. If I tried to spank him I'd end up spanking you." He laughed harder when Shane tensed at the thought.

 

"Um, I think we need to move," Daryl said suddenly. "I think we might be exceeding the weight limit of this..." Before he could finish there was a snap and a resounding crash as the bed fell to the floor. Daryl, Rick, and Shane were crying in pain and laughter, Luke was stunned speechless trying to cling to all three boys so they didn't hurt themselves more, even Edwin was laughing at the sight.

 

"Ok, that's it. We're moving to a bigger bed," Luke sighed.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

"Out of the question!" the Clave council member shouted.

 

Luke sighed and walked out of the library not even bothering to argue because he knew it wouldn't do any good. He'd just have to find another way to keep everyone safe, be with his pack and take care of his two newest young charges Carl and Judith.

 

"Can we talk for a minute?" Lori asked stepping out into the hall as he passed.

 

He hesitated but agreed, "I guess we do have some things we need to discuss."

 

She led him into her room and sat on her bed while he sat in the chair. "I'm sorry you got dragged into all of this Lucian. You've stood by me when no one else would and you took Beth on as your own daughter."

 

"I loved you from the time I met you Lori and it was just natural for me to love Beth too.”

 

"You're disappointed in her aren't you? She is still just a kid," Lori tried to explain.

 

"Not her Lori; you. I'm disappointed in you."

 

Those words hurt more than she wanted to admit. "But I did what I had to so I could keep her safe. You have to understand that, Luke."

 

"I do understand why, even if I don't agree with how you did it. She is your daughter and you are the one who had to make those choices."

 

"Then it's how I've treated you," she said sadly.

 

He huffed out a breath. "You can't make someone love you, I know that. I'm the one who pined away for something I couldn't have. You chose Negan and I should have left but I didn't. I brought this life on myself."

 

"But," she didn’t understand why else he would be disappointed in her.

 

"Daryl."

 

"You know that he’s demon Luke! What was I supposed to do?"

 

"I know you believe that for some reason, but it’s not true. Regardless of the past, he's just a child too and yet you don't care about him at all. All the compassion you have had in your life, for so many things, all the love you have given even to strangers, you still feel nothing for him." He felt hot tears slip down his face and he wasn't sure if he was crying because his heart was breaking for himself or for Daryl. Standing and pacing to the window, "Why am I the only one who see the little boy who's crying out for love, that's slowly dying inside?"

 

Daryl and Shane had spent the day in bed and it wasn't by choice. Andrea, Luke, and Edwin had spent time with them making sure that they were resting so they could heal. Broken bones were tricky even with a healing rune. They were both getting antsy when Rick came in. He looked so uncomfortable that it caused both of them to laugh. "You look like someone took your bottle vampire," Daryl smirked.

 

Rick turned and started to walk out again. "Wait, Rick," Shane called.

 

"Come back downworlder, please," Daryl added.

 

He turned and walked back to them. "Just wanted to see how you were doing. I've already checked on Maggie."

 

The parabatai looked at each other then back to Rick. "Ok spill Grimes," Daryl demanded.

 

"Huh?" he tried to act like he didn’t know what they were talking about but his face was very expressive.

 

Daryl patted the bed, "Sit and tell us what's up and don't say nothing cause we aren't blind."

 

Rick sat down on the side of the bed facing them both and just shrugged. "You would have stopped her."

 

"If you're talking about Beth then you're wrong," Daryl said, suddenly finding the sheet very interesting.

 

"She doesn't listen to anyone and does whatever she wants no matter what the consequences to others," Shane insisted. He’d never like the girl from the first moment Daryl brought her into the institute. "Look I know you think I hate her but I don't," he said at the duel glare he received. "She wasn't raised like us and that's not her fault but even Rick realized when he was first brought here that what we do is life threatening. Every action we involve ourselves in has repercussions not just to us, but to every life form on this earth."

 

"Conceited bastards," Rick smirked, though he knew Shane was right.

 

"Careful downworlder you are in the presence of greatness," Daryl teased.

 

Rick shook his head, "You are the best thing that ever lived, in your mind, aren't you?"

 

Daryl pondered that for a moment before laughing, "Nah if I let myself be seen by the rest of the world, perfect as I really am, lowly boys like yourself would never stand a chance."

 

They joked back and forth and spent a long while talking and getting to know each other better. As much as they all hated to admit it they’d formed a friendship, a brotherly bond that only a trio of supernatural friends could form.

 

There was a soft knock on the door. "It's about time," Daryl laughed expecting it to be their lunch.

 

"For what?" Beth asked. The atmosphere changed instantly when she walked in.

 

"We were… never mind," Daryl shook his head. "Are you alright?" He hadn’t seen her since last night.

 

She crawled up on the bed, into the center of the three boys and sat on her knees between them.

 

"Did...did Milton.. is he" she couldn’t bring herself to ask if he was alright

 

"He was a demon," Shane said incredulously.

 

"I know," she said sadly, her eyes downcast.

 

"I'm sorry Beth. I wish it could have been different. I know you loved him," Daryl forced out. "We all are," he looked at Rick and Shane until they nodded in agreement.

 

She crawled up farther in between Rick and Daryl. "You could take my mind off of it, maybe?" She bit her lip as she ran her hand up Daryl's thigh. Rick started to get up and Shane had nowhere to go but he still tried. "No, all of you please. It could be fun," she purred.

 

"Beth this isn't," Daryl was cut off with a hard kiss. His heart pounded so hard that he thought it was going to pop out of his chest. Maybe she was having some sort of breakdown or something he thought. All he knew was this wasn't right. He gripped her arms with gentle hands and he tried to push her back. He only succeeded in breaking the kiss because her hands were suddenly on very personal areas. "Stop, Beth, stop please."

 

Rick's heart was shattering as he watched the girl he loved try everything she could to be with another man. It took a few minutes for Daryl's words to register but when they did Rick saw him trying to push her away. "Beth," he grabbed her shoulders and yanked her backward so that she landed on her butt on the bed. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded.

 

Shane's heart was shattering watching Beth take what he wanted so badly. He’d secretly been in love with Daryl since they were kids but never had the courage to tell him. He couldn't take it so he tried to get up to leave the room which was a bad idea because he just crumpled to the floor in pain. Daryl immediately scrambled off the bed to get to Shane which landed him in the same position jarring his broken leg and ribs.

 

Rick wasn't sure what to do first. He wanted to smack Beth upside the head for being an idiot and scream at her for dating someone she knew was a demon. Common sense won over and instead he went to Shane and Daryl trying to help them up.

 

 

Beth ran over to them also. "I'm sorry Shane, I know how bad you want Daryl and I'll share him." She took Shane's hand and placed it on Daryl's crotch pressing down almost painfully hard while licking Daryl's neck.

 

Several things happened, so fast that they were almost a blur to Rick. Shane literally sobbed, such a broken cry that the pain even tore through him. Daryl screamed 'Stop!' trying to back away and when he couldn't get away from Beth he shoved her off of them so hard she flipped head over heels before slamming into the closet door with a stunned look on her face. Something happened that shocked Rick, he felt anger. Not toward Daryl this time, but for him. How could Beth try to hurt him like that? Has Rick been blind to it all along? It was like watching a fatal car crash in slow-motion and not being able to do anything to prevent it. He let out a very unmanly squeak when Luke and Lori stormed into the room.

 

"What the hell?" Lori cried when she saw the chaos. Shane was curled into a ball crying openly, Daryl looked like he was going into shock and trying to make himself disappear into the floor, poor Rick looked like all the life had just drained from him and Beth was sobbing against the closet door. "Beth? What's going on here?" she demanded.

 

"I, I was just trying to," she sobbed and ran from the room; Lori chasing behind her.

 

Luke reached Rick first and hauled him to his feet. "Are you hurt?" he asked. When the vampire shook his head no Luke helped him to a chair. "Stay," he warned the vampire.

 

Next, he came to Shane who was crying so hard his body was shaking. "Shhh," he soothed lifting him in his arms and laying him on the bed. He looked him over for new injuries and found none. "It's going to be ok Shane." He knew the boy needed to be held but he had to see about Daryl first. He tried to make him as comfortable as possible tucking a sheet around him.

 

"Daryl?" he approached carefully. "Are you hurt?" The boy slammed back into the wall hard when Luke reached out for him. "Daryl! Calm down, it's ok."

 

"No! Leave me alone!" he curled up as much as he could. Daryl’s heart had shattered. How could Beth do something like that? It was bad when she chose to be with Milton Mamet but to know he was a demon? Then trying to start a gangbang with him, Rick and Shane? How could he have ever thought he loved her?

 

When Luke touched Daryl he tried to punch and kick Luke causing him to hurt himself more. Luke tried for several minutes to get Daryl out of the floor with no luck. It was like he was lost in his own head or something "Last warning Daryl Dixon, calm down!"

 

Lori and the lightwoods came into the room just in time to see Luke pull Daryl to him, swat him on the bottom once to get him to stop struggling before lifting him into his arms like a small child. Andrea pulled the sheet back so Luke could lay him down. All three adults watched as the two Shadowhunters and the vampire looked to be in shock.

 

"What the hell happened?!" Luke demanded!


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter contains attempted non-con and descriptions of violence!
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Negan laughed and patted Jonathan on the shoulder, "Good job my son. I'm proud of you."

 

Jonathon, the real Jonathan Morgenstern, beamed with pride, "I thought it would be a special touch to include the other Shadowhunter,” he said proudly. “They are so easy to manipulate father."

 

Negan couldn't help but think how much easier this was going to be than he had thought. He had intended to try and turn Beth and Daryl against one another but not like this; yes Jonathan was evil indeed. "Let’s see Lucian sort this one out. He'll be so preoccupied with the brats that he will never see us coming."

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Lori sighed, "Once more Beth. What the HELL were you thinking? This isn't like you!" She had spent the last two hours trying to find out what happened and Beth was not cooperating.

 

"You don't care! You just want me to go away, just like you didn't care when you thought Daryl was dead! All you care about is yourself mother, it's all you've ever truly loved!"

 

Lori grabbed Beth by the arm, "You can hate me if you want to Beth Fairchild but everything I have ever done was for you! I couldn't save your brother, it was too late for him but I could save you! I did everything I could! I gave up everything I ever had or could have had for you!"

 

"Is that why you've led Luke on and treated him like crap all this time, Mother? Luke found you and helped you keep your damn secret even though he didn't agree with what you were doing! He treated me like his own daughter, when he knew I was part fucking monster and you still walk all over him!"

 

 

"You don't understand Beth," she tried not to show how much the words hurt her. "I did what I felt I had to do to keep everyone safe. I never asked Luke for help, he followed me on his own." She sat down in a chair dejectedly, "Yes, I was grateful when I thought Jona.. Daryl," she corrected herself, "was dead. It saved me from having to do it myself."

 

Beth gasped and spun around, "What?"

 

"He is a demon Beth. I drank demon blood when I was pregnant. I knew the type of demons your father was trying to summon and control and I couldn't stop him. When Daryl was born the midwife nearly dropped him when she saw what he was. His skin translucent, eyes black as night and scales on his arms and legs." She shivered, "I was weak and unable to fight Negan off when he chained me to the bed and forced me to feed the baby. I tried to hold him, tried to love him but I couldn't. Eventually, he lost all of his demon appearance and I was able to tolerate the boy and even had some hope that what had been done to him didn't take but then he started crying inconsolably and nothing I did could help. Negan walked into the nursery with blood covering his hand and he held it to Daryl's lips. He instantly went silent and suckled greedily at his hand and his features morphed back into demon form." Tears fell from Lori’s eyes unchecked, "I knew then I had to do everything I could to stop Negan, even if it meant taking my own son's life."

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Luke ran his hands through his mussed hair with a sigh. Edwin and Andrea had taken Shane to his room and Rick to Maggie to try and get everyone calmed down. He had been trying for hours to get a response from Daryl without success. He'd tried compassion, demanding answers, yelling, and threats of punishment, and even downright pleading with no success. Daryl never even made a sound when Luke had to reset his broken leg; he just laid there like a broken toy. "Please kid, say something, anything. Yell, scream, throw a fit, anything." Luke grabbed him by the arms and shook him before pulling him into a tight embrace willing him to show some signs of still being in there somewhere. He felt his head loll against his shoulder like his body was lifeless and Luke broke. He truly sobbed for the first time since he'd been betrayed by Negan; he didn't realize silent tears were falling from the boy’s eyes as well.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

"Owe!" Rick yelped as Maggie forced him to lie back down. "That hurt!" They had become friends over the past few months.

 

"Then behave vampire and I won't have to hurt you." She stuffed a pillow behind his head with a little more force than necessary. "I know you love her still and I'm sorry for what she did in front of you, but if she is like that then you and Daryl both deserve better."

 

"It's not her," he frowned. "I mean it is her, but it's not," he gestured frantically trying to get the words out. "I've known Beth all my life and she has never acted like this. Something is wrong with her Maggie and I have to find out what."

 

"We will but first we have to get everyone well. One Vampire and one Shadowhunter aren't exactly good odds with the things we tend to have to face."

 

"We?" Rick arched his brow.

 

"She's your friend! You don't think I'm going on my own do ya?"

 

He laughed and hugged her, "you are the best Mags."

 

"Damn right I am," she nodded. "That's why you’re going, to tell the truth when all of this settles."

 

"The truth?"

 

"Uh huh," she leaned in close and pointed at him.

 

“What are you talking about?” he was confused.

 

“You are in love with Daryl,” she said as if it were national news that everyone knew.

 

He sat up quickly, “You’re crazy!”

 

“No, you are blind,” she huffed. “You and Daryl are the only two that are too stupid to see it.

 

Rick was not in love with Daryl Dixon…..was he?

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Shane was curled into a ball trying to disappear as his mom and dad shouted at each other about what was happening. One second they were blaming each other the next they were blaming Negan and Luke. His head was pounding and his heart racing as he thought about all that had just happened. He couldn't believe that Beth would do something like that! She betrayed the one trust there was no recovering from and in front of Rick.

 

 

Daryl had frozen with fear and what Shane assumed was loathing and disgust from his touch and that made Shane feel dirty. It was one thing for Maggie and Beth to know about his desire for Daryl and about his sexual preferences but everyone would know now and he would be kicked out of the Clave; hell out of his own family. Just when he felt like the pounding in his head couldn't get any worse and he was about to scream there was a soothing hand on his shoulder.

 

"Enough!" Glenn shouted causing Edwin and Andrea to jump and spin around.

 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Edwin snapped. He detested wizards, especially this one.

 

"What you're too self-centered to do apparently," Glenn said, taking Shane's hand.

 

Andrea suddenly realized the state her son was in and went to him. "Shane," taking his other hand and running her fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. Are you ok?"

 

He and Glenn both looked at her like she sprouted two heads and a unicorn. "No he's not ok," Glenn said slowly like he was talking to someone who was a few books short of a full library. “He’s been traumatized, assaulted by demons and attacked, in the only place he’s ever felt safe and his parabatai is fading. Would you be ok?" Glenn snapped at her.

 

"Glenn," Shane warned.

 

He pressed a finger to Shane’s lips to silence him, "no. It's time they hear what their too blind to see Shane. I know deep down in there somewhere they do love you and care about you but I for one am not going to stand by and watch them let you destroy yourself. I'll turn them into a couple of hamsters for Chairman Meow and Church to play with first."

 

Shane was prepared to defend Glenn with his life knowing his father's temper and was shocked when he heard both Edwin and Andrea's booming laughter. He looked from them to Glenn several times before Edwin finally spoke. "I like you warlock. You are not afraid to stand up for what you believe in."

 

Andrea smiled at Shane, "Honey it's going to be ok. I know things are crazy right now and I wish we could fix that, but we will do everything in our power to keep you, your sister and your brother safe."

 

Edwin stood at the foot of the bed looking both menacing and serious. "We have made a lot of mistakes son, but we will not let any of you suffer for them."

 

"Mistakes?" Shane asked.

 

They explained everything they had kept to themselves about Negan, their time in the circle, their punishment for what they had done and even that they had been stricter with Daryl then they should have been and why. They spoke open and honestly for the first time about everything including Shane's feelings for Daryl and Glenn. Much to Shane’s surprise, they weren't angry that he was gay. He listened to them explain that they wanted the best for him and that they would be tolerant of whatever choice he made. Andrea smiled as he fell asleep still holding hands with Glenn.

 

As soon as Shane was asleep Edwin spoke, a warning clear in his voice, "Do not ever threaten to turn me into anything again warlock or you will find out what this old Shadowhunter is capable of."

 

Glenn smiled, his cat eyes slipping to the fore, "Sounds fun to me."

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Negan leaned toward Luke with a sinister grin on his face and forced him to watch as Jonathan stabbed a knife into Daryl's leg. "You will tell me what I want to know, Lucian."

 

Luke struggled in his bonds, silver lined, leather straps biting into his wrists as he tried to get free. They had been asleep when Negan and Jonathan broke into their room and started torturing them for information. Negan was demanding to know where the cup and sword were and what Clave had planned for him. Negan and Jonathan had taken turns beating Luke after they had tied Daryl up and effectively hung him from the ceiling with silver chains. They quickly realized the easiest way to get Luke to cooperate was to hurt Daryl.

 

Negan walked over to the boy hanging from his chains and ran his hand over the bloodied body causing Daryl to bite back a yelp. "I raised you well boy but you did not turn out as well as Jonathan. I tried to teach you to be a strong warrior, ruthless, and quick but you were always too damn gentle. You had to try and love everything and everyone and wouldn't stop no matter how much I tried to beat it out of you." Negan punched Daryl in the torso several times and laughed as he watched him struggle not to cry out. "Hell, you even taught that stupid falcon to love you after I trained it to attack you. I knew then you were worthless."

 

Daryl's body was on fire. He'd been punched, hit with a cat o nine tails until his back was a bloody raw mess and then there were the stabs and cuts, the blood loss alone was making him dizzy. "I'd rather be worthless then be like you!" He spat in Negan's face which earned him another vicious beating.

 

"Stop! Enough Negan!" Luke roared feeling his wrist break with the force of his struggle to get free and get to the Daryl.

 

Negan wiped the muck from his face and walked back to Luke. Jonathan walked over to where Daryl was hanging limply and watched the blood pool on the floor at his feet. Just as Negan was about to ask Luke a question the door opened and Beth walked in. She went straight to Daryl and smiled before digging her fingers into an open gash in his side causing him to scream out and writhe in pain.

 

"Beth!" Luke cried out.

 

Negan laughed as he walked behind her and gave her a hug. She smiled up at him and reached for a bag she'd brought with her. "I brought what you asked for father." She pulled out several items from a duffel bag and handed them to him. "I put the ruins on the doors like you asked so it should take them longer to detect us."

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Shane, Rick, Maggie, and Glenn were all sitting in Shane's room discussing what was happening with Beth and how she was acting. "Something isn't right," Rick insisted again.

 

"We know," Shane cringed as he thought about what she had done.

 

"What are we going to do?" Maggie asked. "How do we help her if we don't know why she's doing what she does? I've tried tailing her but Daryl has been training her and she's hard to keep up with."

 

Shane's body went ridged and he cried out in pain, "Daryl!" His parabatai was in trouble, he could feel it. "Something's wrong!"

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

"Why?" Luke asked dejectedly, tears flowing from his eyes as he watched Jonathan slice across Daryl's neck with a large dagger enough to make it bleed as Beth held a chalice against his chest to catch the blood.

 

Negan stepped into Luke’s line of sight. “Because you betrayed me! You were my parabatai, my brother and you turned your back on me!"

 

"I tried to help you Negan but you were so damn set in your ways that you wouldn't hear of it! You set me up to be attacked by the wolves, knew they would turn me and then no one would listen to what I had to say. You got everything you wanted!"

 

"No!" he roared "Not until today! I never saw you lose something you loved even when Lori left, but now," he turned and motioned for them to lower Daryl to the ground. "I want you to watch Lucian. I want the last thing you ever see to be the life go out of his eyes. I want you to watch the boy lose the very light in his soul; for you to hear him beg for your help and know that you can't stop it," Negan taunted.

 

Daryl was so weak from blood loss that he couldn't even stand when they broke the chains holding him. He hit the ground with a hard thud. "Beth please, help me," he pleaded reaching up for her. She grabbed a hand full of his hair and dragged him over in front of Luke. She and Jonathan went to work cutting off what was left of his clothes. Luke realized what was about to happen, what Negan had threatened in his projection and he roared with anger as his skin rippled and writhed, his body shaking violently as he shifted to wolf form.

 

Negan flinched in fear for a mere second at Luke's reaction but kept going. He flipped Daryl over on his stomach and knelt over him. Grabbing a handful of matted, bloody hair he forced Daryl's head up so that he was looking at Luke from the floor. He used the other hand to start unfastening his leather pants.

 

Daryl knew what was about to happen and he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it. He prayed for the first time in his life that whatever happened to him that the others would take out Negan and break whatever control that he had over Beth. Daryl looked into Luke's eyes and even though he was now the wolf, he found comfort in them. He found home, safety, and love in those gray eyes. There were so many things that he wished he'd have said but it was too late now. He wished he could have told Luke how he felt. That if he could have picked someone, anyone in the world to be his father, it would have been him but all he could say was, "I'm sorry."

 

Daryl felt Negan's skin against his own and his body tensed. "Please don't," he pleaded. "Beth," he sobbed as he felt Negan's hand on him trying to open him. He braced himself for the pain but it never came. The sound of metal shattering and an ear-splitting roar was all he heard before Negan was gone. He struggled to roll away and he saw the wolf ripping at Negan trying to tear him apart with his teeth. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Jonathan's movement.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Shane and the others had gathered their parents and the other hunters and explained what they felt was happening. Although they were skeptical and believed there was no way anyone could get into the Institute, the Lightwood's believed Shane and agreed to go check on Luke and Jace. It didn't take long for them to see through the runes glamor and break through the door. What they saw would forever be burned into their memories.

 

Lucian broke free from the metal chair and chains and leaped at Negan, who was poised to assault Daryl. He started ripping and biting at the bastard. The boy, the real Jonathan, ran at Lucian with a long silver dagger. Daryl lunged with the last ounce of strength that he had jumping between Luke and Jonathan then suddenly everything was still. The dagger went through Daryl's chest and into Luke's back, the silver burning and eating away at the Lycan's skin. He rolled off Negan writhing and screaming as he changed back into human form.

 

Shane, Maggie, the Lightwood's, Lori and the other clave members ran into the fray making quick work of subduing Negan. Rick attacked the other boy with a wrath that sent chills down everyone's spine, beating the young hunter to a pulp before binding him. Shane tried to help as Maggie attacked Beth and subdued her. During the struggle, Maggie noticed a dark red ruin on the back of her neck but before she could speak all eyes were drawn to the center of the room.

 

Luke crawled over to Daryl, gathering him into his arms. He was murmuring comforting words and rocking him soothingly. "Damn it kid, why?" he whispered stroking his hair.

 

Daryl whimpered as he was moved but being comforted by Luke seemed to make it all ok. The rest of the world seemed to fade into darkness and all that was left was pain. He reached up and pulled the dagger out of his chest.

 

"No!" Luke cried out pressing his hand hard against Daryl’s chest to stop the blood that spurted out with each of Daryl’s heartbeats.

 

"M'sorry," Daryl coughed as his bloody hands grasped at Luke's arms. He was fighting hard to stay conscious but he was dying and they all knew it. His eyes slipped closed and he knew it wouldn't be long. "Luke!" he screamed with a panicked, fear filled voice.

 

"I'm here," he reassured, "Fight Daryl, you have to fight it. Don't give into the blackness."

 

"I...if things were different," he coughed and groaned, "I wish," he hiccupped a strangled gasp, "wish I had been your son."

 

Luke watched as the boy's eyes slid closed. He heard someone scream out in agony but couldn't bring himself to look and see who it was. He would later find out that it was him that was screaming. "You are, you always will be my son, Daryl, always," he kissed his forehead.

 

The door to the bedroom opened suddenly and the little blond girl walked in. Everyone was still too shocked to move as she walked over to Daryl and Luke. She patted Luke's head then placed a soft kiss on Daryl's temple. "Oh, my angel," she said, sadly. What started out as a faint golden glow around her grew until it was so bright that they all had to shield their eyes. Her body shifted and grew in the brightness and a set of great, white feathered wings emerged from her back. She placed a hand over Daryl's chest and the other over Luke's heart and began to speak in ancient Latin.

 

Everyone in the room gasped as Daryl's eyes shot open and he took a deep breath. His body glowed and his eyes were gold light. He looked at the angel before him and wept as he felt his body heal and somehow felt Luke's doing the same. "How?" he blinked to clear his eyes and for a moment saw the small child the angel had been. "Judith?"

 

She smiled kindly, "that is what you called me my angel, but my true name is Emeel. I am the angel of hope." The light faded slightly as she removed her hands from their bodies having healed them both.

 

"But you’re an angel," Daryl said, stunned.

 

"Aye, and you are also," she nodded.

 

He lowered his head, "I am a Nephilim, not an angel."

 

"You are an angel of Hope, Daryl; one of my angels. You are hope, for the future of your people and for a life of peace. The reason Negan could never corrupt you is that you have Angel blood in you. He gave his son demon blood, not you."

 

"But I am his son," Daryl protested.

 

"No," she shook her head and pointed to the other boy. "That is Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern; Negan and Lori's son. He is the child that was spawned by a demon deal. You were born a Herondale but Negan stole you and raised you, trying to groom you to take over for him so that he could blame you for what happened when he tried to raise the angel. You are not his son and never will be."

 

She stood and approached Beth who cowered and tried to fight to get away from Maggie. The Angel cringed, "Pain is all you leave in your wake Negan but your daughter is strong. Your grip on her is fading as we speak but I will help it along." She moved Beth's hair aside and placed her finger over the red ruin on the back of her neck and it disappeared. Beth collapsed to the ground unconscious.

 

Emeel turned to the clave members, "gather the Silent Brother's and the Iron Sisters, we must speak immediately." Everyone scattered and started trying to make sense of all the chaos.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Luke tossed and turned in a fitful sleep. Though healed physically, mentally and emotionally he was completely drained and he knew the ramifications of things that had been brought into the open were going to be tedious to deal with at best. Time was the only thing that could help them all heal and overcome but the key to that was to keep certain people from self-destructing and focused on healing.

 

Emeel made an inescapable prison to hold Negan and his son Jonathon while they decided what actions to take. The clave stood in the library and stared at the Angel in awe as only a small number of living Nephilim had actually seen one alive. Negan and his son would be held for trial and dealt with by the Nephilim laws. The Clave itself was shaken to its very core when Emeel told them the entire council was to be replaced by various representatives that could speak for all downworlders and Nephilim alike. On the very top of the short list of names were two that drew harsh reaction for one reason or another; Daryl Herondale and Lucian Greymark. Speeches, arguments, debates and all out battles went on for hours over who was right or wrong for this council. In the end, Emeel reminded them that they were chosen by the Angels and were bound by the Angel’s rule so they would do as they were told.

 

The angel walked down the hall between Ina and Phillip, discussing how the immediate future needed to be dealt with. "It is not going to be easy to make this transition of power," Ina sighed, "but we will do all in our ability to help."

 

Emeel nodded her head, "I fear your help will be needed with the council in different ways than you might suspect."

 

Phillip nodded, "The boy and the wolf."

 

"Sometimes the truth is harder for someone to deal with then the lie, even though the lie hurts the most,” Emeel said.

 

"Then why did you let him go through all of that?" came a soft voice from behind them. They turned to see Beth, tired but determined. "I saw it," tears brimmed in her eyes. "I saw what my father put Daryl through as a kid, just like I was really there. How could you let a child, any child, be brutalized that way? You're an angel! How in the hell could anyone, especially you, stand by and let that happen!"

 

"Beth!" Lori shouted and grabbed her by the arm.

 

Emeel held her hand up to silence Lori. "It's alright. I understand her questions, even her anger. Beth, I wish I could give you the answers that you want but I cannot. There are things that you do not yet, and may never come to understand but I have watched every second of Daryl's life and his torment; I've felt it as if it were done to me personally. I hope you will try to look past your anger at me and see what is in front of you and I hope that Daryl can heal from all that has happened," she turned with a quick swish of wings and was gone, Ina and Phillip following her.

 

"What the hell does that mean?" she looked desperately at her mother who pulled her into a hug.

 

"I don't know honey," Lori led her back to their room. "I'm sorry that you had to go through this honey but it will all be alright." She held her for a while then brushed her hair back, "Why don't you go see Daryl?"

 

"I can't," she said quickly.

 

"What? Why?" she asked confused.

 

Beth walked to the window and looked out, replaying what she'd seen in her mind.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Daryl whimpered as he cowered in the corner trying to shield himself from his father's blows.

 

"You're ten years old you little bastard," he yanked the boy up by a hand full of blond hair before slamming him over the desk. "Stop your sniveling and take it like a man," he snarled and slammed his belt down.

 

"No!"

 

Luke jerked awake when he heard Daryl scream. His feet tangled in the sheet as he ran toward the door that connected their rooms together and he nearly fell on his face before he made it to the bed. Daryl was sweating and trembling, whimpering painfully in his sleep. Seeing that the boy was safe Luke relaxed and gathered himself for a moment, removing the sheet from his foot that he'd dragged in with him and chuckled.

 

He sat on the side of the bed and brushed the hair from Daryl’s sweaty brow and was about to wake him when Daryl screamed out as if he was in pain and tried to dart off the bed. Luke grabbed him by the waist and woke him. "Daryl, shhh it's ok. Daryl!"

 

He heard someone shouting his name and through his struggle began to wake. Luke's voice was the one he heard not Negan's. "L..luke?"

 

Luke held him tight so he couldn't get away, "I'm right here kid. It was just a dream. You're ok." After several minutes he felt the Daryl relax against him but the trembling intensified; he realized Daryl was sobbing silently. Luke held him against his chest letting him cry it out.

 

After a while, Luke thought he'd fallen asleep but Daryl spoke, his voice hoarse from tears, "Why?"

 

"Why what?"

 

He really didn't know which specific why he wanted an answer too. Was it all of them? "I..I'm sure I deserved it all but it’s not fair Luke. I was just a kid. No one protected me from the monster in my room."

 

He repositioned Daryl so that he was laying down, cuddled to his side with an ease of strength that would shock any mundane. "What did he do to you?" Luke wondered out loud.

 

"Tried to teach me to be a man," sadly, "but I didn't learn very fast; I never did. I earned so many punishments that he had to come up with new ways to educate me."

 

Luke felt Daryl shiver. "What kind of ways?" he prodded

 

Shrugging, "he was afraid he would damage me if he continued to hit me so he withheld food and water for a while. I became so weak I was useless to him. He tried other things that would bring more intense pain like a cut with salt or sand poured onto it. It worked because that is how I learned to withstand more pain but it never made me smarter," Daryl sounded truly upset with himself.

 

Luke wanted to tell him that none of that was right, that Negan was an evil heartless bastard, but he was afraid if he broke the conversation that Daryl would no longer continue so he used small words of encouragement where he could.

 

"I.. I messed up a ritual he was performing so he.. he killed my dog," Daryl’s voice was strangled. "I buried him in our favorite place by the lake and I never loved anything again cause I would make it die. I learned that love was weakness." He jumped when Luke growled and blinked up at him in surprise. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have.."

 

Luke grabbed a hand full of his hair in an almost painful grip and firmly held him in place. His alpha male presence coming to the fore and it was intimidating, to say the least. He had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself before speaking. "What else?" He saw the hesitation and growled, "What else?"

 

Daryl didn't know why but he wanted to tell Luke everything. Every sorted, disgusting detail that he had caused his father do to him. He wanted Luke to know the most disgusting parts of his life so he could see the hate on his face; so he could throw Daryl away while Daryl would still be able to survive the pain; so he did. He told him everything, from the rituals Negan had forced him to do, the black ruins that had been the evilest thing he'd ever encountered, to the one thing that made him what he was, ruined and unlovable; the assaults. Daryl told him everything down to the goriest detail of the time he'd been the nights 'entertainment' for a visiting warlock so that his father could get a spell he wanted to have performed. He bared his soul and waited for Luke to throw him out.

 

Luke was fighting with all he had to stop from going to rip Negan's throat out because Daryl needed him. If Luke left now it would destroy Daryl. He got up and dragged Daryl to his feet forcing him to stand in front of the mirror. "What do you see Daryl?"

 

Daryl refused to look at himself but Luke's large hand forced his head up. He jumped when Luke demanded to know what he saw again. "Nothing," he sighed, "I see nothing."

 

"You know what I see?" He forced Daryl back in front of him when he struggled to get away.

 

"Luke please, stop."

 

 

"I see the strongest person I've ever known. The only living Shadowhunter to have been blessed with seeing an angel not just once but twice. A young man that even the heavens know is worth fighting to save. I see someone who has more love in his heart than most of the world have as a whole. Compassion, intelligence, ability that most only dream of having." He saw tears falling from Daryl's eyes in the reflection in the mirror. "I also see a little boy who was tortured and abused by the people who were supposed to protect and love him. The things he did to you, Daryl are inexcusable and I will rip the flesh from his bones when I get to him. I will make him feel the pain he caused you I swear it, but right now there are more important things for me to do." He turned Daryl to face him, "I need something from you."

 

Daryl was confused and slightly deflated that Luke wanted something from him but he nodded, "sure."

 

"I want you to be my son."

 

Daryl blinked, stunned. Why would Luke tease him like this? It hurt more than any physical blow he’d ever received.

 

"I mean it, Daryl. I know you're fifteen and in three years you will be a legal adult, but I want to show you that you deserve to be loved; that you ARE loved. I want to be the father that you should have had; if you'll let me," Luke laid his heart on the line. Whatever Daryl chose he would abide by.

 

Several minutes passed and Daryl didn't say anything. It was too good to be true. It had to be some sort of cruel joke to torture him more. If he said yes then Luke would laugh in his face and walk away. On the other hand, if he said yes and Luke was being honest.. Negan’s words echoed in his head, 'to love was to destroy, to be loved was to be destroyed'? He couldn't destroy Luke; he wouldn't. Daryl must have said that out loud because Luke was speaking again.

 

"You won't destroy me Daryl and I won't let you destroy yourself either," he said firmly. "Negan is not your father and Herondale didn't deserve the chance either! Damn it, kid.”

 

Daryl’s throat was so tight that he couldn't speak so he nodded his head vigorously, finally managing a "please?"

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

 

Luke glanced over at the still too pale boy while he was driving, "everything ok?"

 

Daryl shrugged, "where are we going anyway?" bouncing in the seat as the old truck hit a bump.

 

"You'll see," he knew Daryl hated being made to wait and couldn't hide his laugh at the chagrined look.

 

Daryl didn't know if he should be worried that Luke knew him so well already or be pleased. They were driving through the park when he looked over, "Can we stop for bit?"

 

Luke was surprised that he wanted to do something so mundane but pulled over. He didn't see Daryl reach into the back of the truck and stick something in his pocket as he got out. They walked for awhile in an easy silence just enjoying the quiet. Daryl made a quick turn to his left effectively corralling Luke into a fenced in area. "What are you doing?"

 

"It's a dog park," Daryl said, as if everyone should have known that. "I like coming here and playing with the dogs sometimes, it relaxes me."

 

Luke watched as the boy stopped and petted several dogs before stopping to sit on a bench nearby. Daryl was giving him a weird look. "What?"

 

Daryl chuckled, "you're smiling."

 

"And?"

 

Daryl shrugged but grinned himself, "it's new."

 

"Well get ready for much more of it and everything like it. I demand happiness right now."

 

"Demand?" Daryl arched a brow, "Of whom?"

 

"You," he poked him in the chest. "And you will like it."

 

"Or?"

 

His face became a mask of anger and he grabbed Daryl by the neck forcing him down like he was going to spank him making Daryl squeal a very indignant, shrill squeak that he would later deny ever came from him. Luke snorted and burst out with laughter, "relax, geez! Let yourself breathe Daryl and stop being so tense," he ruffled his hair.

 

Daryl smiled, his first genuine smile in years. Being happy was an adjustment that he was going to have to work on but he really wanted to try for the first time in his life. "Oh you're funny.." he mock glared. A dog came bounding over happily and jumped up on Luke kissing his face. Daryl laughed, "Girlfriend?"

 

Luke shot him a glare and was about to tell him off when the dog’s owner came trudging over apologizing. "Sammy! Bad dog!" She tugged on the Collie's harness. "He never does this!"

 

"It's quite alright really," Luke soothed as he scratched the dog.

 

"Luke's use to attracting all the pretty dogs," Daryl smirked, earning a glare from Luke. He shrugged innocently. Sammy and his owner were on their way after one last apology.

 

Luke shook a finger at Daryl, "you behave. I'll have you know I attract beautiful women too not just dogs."

 

Daryl laughed and stood, pulling something out of his pocket as he did so. "There is something I wanted to ask you."

 

"Yeah?" he asked standing as they walked slowly toward the truck.

 

Daryl waved a squeaky ball in front of him, "Do you fetch boy? Come on, good doggie!"

 

"You little!" Daryl burst into laughter and took off in a full run toward the truck, Luke chasing with a litany of curses that earned him a glare from two mothers sitting with their toddlers.

 

"OUCH!" he yelped as a hard hand connected to his head and he was pushed against the door of the truck.

 

Luke was laughing as he yanked the door open and playfully tossed the boy inside, "brat!"

 

Daryl was still rubbing the back of his head as they arrived at Luke's destination. "You run fast for an old man," he said getting out of the truck.

 

Luke walked around the truck and grabbed him in a headlock dragging him toward the building, "I'll show you an old man."

 

The realtor looked up as her client burst through the door with a young man in a headlock flailing and laughing. "Let go! Don't make me hurt you, Lucian!" Daryl was trying to sound angry but she could hear the laughter in his voice. He caught sight of her and instantly went stiff.

 

Luke felt the change in Daryl and tensed himself until he saw Carol, the realtor he was meeting here. He kept his hand on Daryl's back as he nodded to her. "Thank you for meeting me."

 

"Gladly," she smiled and reached to shake his hand.

 

"This is Daryl," he motioned. He shook her hand but didn't say anything.

 

"I'm intrigued, Mr. Garroway. You said you weren't looking to open the hotel for business but it needed to be livable?"

 

Daryl arched his eyebrow but still remained silent. Luke smiled and went into charming businessman mode. "Yes we will be living here but I also have a love for restoring old buildings and landmarks. I was hoping for a project for us to work, on as a family," placing his hand on Daryl's shoulder. Luke could see the boy start to glow even as he blushed and ducked his head.

 

They looked at every floor of the old hotel starting at the bottom. When they reached the top floor it was a fully furnished and beautiful. It was masculine but still had some softness to it. Luke watched as Daryl eyed every detail, running his hands along smooth wood and shiny metal surfaces and eyeing the floor to ceiling bookshelves in the den. Carol gave them some space as they explored.

 

Daryl walked into a bedroom that had wooden shelves built into the walls a double glass door that leads out to a balcony that had ornate stone carvings in the railing. On the left side of the glass doors was a wall made entirely of carved wood.

 

Luke heard the Daryl’s sharp intake of breath and he stepped behind him. "Do you like it?" As hard as Daryl tried, he couldn't speak. "I have been working on this since you came to stay with me after Negan's return. We've been working on it but until now I had no place to put it."

 

Daryl ran a trembling hand over the smooth carvings of an oak tree reaching from floor to ceiling, its branches flaring out on all sides. Birds, deer and other woodland animals in their natural habitat filled the forest of wood on the wall. Carved deep into the trunk of the tree were a few ruins. The Angelic Power Rune was in the center, prominent above all. Around it was Insight, Strength, Courage, Love and Fortitude. He saw another rune off to the side on a stone. "I don't know this one," he whispered his voice choked with emotion.

 

"It's the Graymark monogram," trying not to sound choked up himself.

 

"It’s amazing Luke. I.. I've never seen anything like it."

 

"I'm glad to hear you say that because it's yours." Daryl's head snapped around and he gaped at him like a fish out of water. "It's your room, if you like it."

 

"I.. I've never had a room of my own before, made just for me." His face broke into a huge smile, eyes shining as he nodded his head. "I would like it very much," he hugged the lycan tightly.

 

Luke went into the kitchen where Carol was still waiting. He was so happy he was beaming. "I take it he likes it?"

 

"Yes," he was smiling so much his face hurt. He had already purchased the hotel because he needed a better place for the pack, it was growing too much and they were running out of room in the old police station. He had planned on moving here with them but after what had happened with Daryl he wanted him to be a part of the decision to move. He told Carol that he would take the hotel but if Daryl wasn't happy he would also be in search of a home. He was happy that Daryl liked it. "Is everything taken care of?"

 

She nodded and handed him the deed. "If you need anything just give me a call."

 

Luke showed her out then went back to Daryl's room and found him sitting on the floor staring at the wooden carving. "Let’s get something to eat?"

 

He looked up at him, "Can we eat here?"

 

"Take out it is. You choose."

**Author's Note:**

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
> I would love to hear from you! Let me know what you think but please be nice. No need to be disrespectful. If you don't like the story just move on and find a better one!


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